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Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan) (2007)

tomatometer

78

Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 32
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 7

Hitoshi Matsumoto's indescribably odd mockumentary is undeniably inspired.

70

Average Rating: 6.2/10
Critic Reviews: 10
Fresh: 7 | Rotten: 3

Hitoshi Matsumoto's indescribably odd mockumentary is undeniably inspired.

audience

50

liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 29,454

My Rating

Movie Info

Director Hitoshi Matsumoto weaves this darkly comic mockumentary about a Japanese giant who continues the long-standing family tradition of facing off against Tokyo's most formidable monsters. Constantly caught in the middle of everyone's battles, Daisato finds his sincere efforts to keep the peace repeatedly belittled; he's divorced, his neighbors have covered his house in graffiti, and he gets nothing but dirty looks when he walks down the street. When we first meet Daisato, he is the subject

Jul 28, 2009

Magnet Releasing

Cast

All Critics (32) | Top Critics (10) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (7) | DVD (1)

Somewhere there is a stranger film than Big Man Japan, but it would be hard to find.

June 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Detroit News | Comment
Detroit News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

This inspired 2007 send-up of the atomic-monster genre gets a fair amount of comic mileage from Daisato (played by the director) being anything but a big man.

June 26, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comment
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Very funny in an insidious way.

June 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comment (1)
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The film, written, directed and starring stand-up comic Hitoshi Matsumoto has, like most superheroes, a tragic flaw: It isn't funny.

May 29, 2009 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | Comments (2)
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic IconTop Critic

At nearly two hours, Big Man Japan is clever (in a sick sort of way) but overlong. It needs judicious editing -- more mockumentary, fewer superhero antics.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Post | Comment
New York Post
Top Critic IconTop Critic

As in life, the nonmonster stuff goes on too long. But wait until the giant baby shows up.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Daily News | Comment
New York Daily News
Top Critic IconTop Critic

An affectionate parody of Japanese giant-monster hero shows to make points about the unraveling of Japan's cultural heritage.

July 5, 2011 Full Review Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser | Comment

The movie's shambling, matter-of-fact approach to pulpy material is funny, as is its steadfast avoidance of visual hype.

October 11, 2009 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | Comment
eFilmCritic.com

Big Man Japanis built around a funny concept, vaguely akin to Hancock: its title character is a superhero who is a bit of a loser.Unfortunately, the concept is not enough to sustain entire the film.

September 25, 2009 Full Review Source: Cinefantastique | Comment
Cinefantastique

The movie doesn't get truly weird until the Power Ranger-style superheroes show up, and the special effects get even more low-rent. Then it really takes off.

August 14, 2009 Full Review Source: Oregonian | Comment
Oregonian

Big Man Japan shows a good mockumentary needs more than killer concept to make us howl.

July 31, 2009 Full Review Source: What Would Toto Watch? | Comment
What Would Toto Watch?

Makes you almost nostalgic for some of the worst cinematic offerings ever to come out of the Orient, including such crappy classics as Rodan, Mothra and the Giant Behemoth.

July 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Sly Fox | Comment
Sly Fox

This is Matsumoto's first feature (he's a famously odd Japanese comedian), but it's a distinctively bizarre piece of work. Remember the name.

May 30, 2009 Full Review Source: MTV | Comment

If Christopher Guest made a Japanese monster movie, the end result might be Big Man Japan.

May 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Sci Fi Wire | Comment
Sci Fi Wire

Smart spoof of the Japanese giant-monster genre.

May 19, 2009 Full Review Source: Movie Dearest | Comment
Movie Dearest

A cheesy B-movie that's initially refreshing, funny and a guilty pleasure, but eventually sinks into tedium while its comic energy and imagination concurrently diminish.

May 17, 2009 Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | Comment
NYC Movie Guru

Goofy sci-fi satire aimed at a narrow audience.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Film Journal International | Comment
Film Journal International

Deflation--not delight--is the rule, and the key to enjoying the B-movie fights is to accept that even when Masaru wins, we're not meant to feel triumph.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: I.E. Weekly | Comment
I.E. Weekly
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan)

Movies don't come more oddball than this. Japan's version of "Hancock" is also a loving tribute to the 60s live action kids shows. Big Man Japan is a "mockumentary" following the life of Masaru Daisato, a seemingly ordinary, middle-aged and divorced loser who's having trouble making money and yet seems to be very

December 18, 2009
Mr Awesome
First Last

Super Reviewer

More than just a homage to kaiju flicks, you can feel Matsumoto is meditating a lot about the routine of living in Japan for a middle age man. A clever approach with a dead-pan comedy style that suits the whole thing very well. The final act was unpredictable but quite fun, and seeing Riki Takeuchi as a big jumping

April 17, 2008
DragonEyeMorrison
Tsubaki Sanjuro

Super Reviewer

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Latest News for Dai-Nipponjin (Big Man Japan)

June 6, 2011:
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Foreign Titles

  • Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) (DE)
  • Big Man Japan (Dai-Nipponjin) (UK)
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