What a Wonderful Family (Photo : Film Society Lincoln Center)
Divorce when the couple should already be celebrating their golden wedding anniversary is the topic of a Japanese comedy that would soon be remade into a movie in China. The Japanese comedy that would have a Chinese remake is “What a Wonderful Family!” (Kazuko wa Tsuraiyo).
The plot of the Japanese dramedy revolves around a couple who had been married for 50 years. The wife causes a turmoil in the family because what she asked for as a birthday gift from her husband, a traveling salesman, or Tora-san, is a divorce, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sun Li, the wife of Shanghai Yiyantang Entertainment director Huang Lei, will be the star of the Chinese remake of the hit Japanese comedy written by Yoji Yamada. Shanghai Yiyantang and Edko, owned by Bill Kong, will co-produce the Chinese remake.
In Japan, Shochiku released “What a Wonderful Family” in March and earned $13 million. Yoji Yamada has directed a sequel in Japan which would be released in May 2017, although Shochiku would announced the Chinese remake on Monday.
“What a Wonderful Family” competed at the Hawaii International Film Festival 2016 and is an Oscar contender, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was director Yamada’s first comedy in 20 years after he ended his “Tora-san” series which had over 40 feature releases.
There used to be minimal interaction between the Japanese and Chinese movie industries because of the political differences between China and Japan over territorial dispute. However, the remake by a Chinese studio of a Japanese hit comedy is another step in improved relations.
Proof of it is $41 million in box-office receipts when Japanese anime “Your Name” was shown in China last weekend. It was the second time a Japanese film earned a lot from the Chinese film market. The first was when “Stand by Me Doraemon,” a Japanese animated comedy, enjoyed a $100 million box office receipt in China in 2015.
