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      Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

      Released Feb 15, 1998 1h 43m Comedy List
      88% 8 Reviews Tomatometer 94% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score A Tokyo radio play becomes increasingly more absurd as its temperamental actors (Toshiaki Karasawa, Masahiko Nishimura) improvise. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      Film Threat Rated: 4/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 14, 2005 Full Review David Cornelius eFilmCritic.com Mr. McDonald is a loving tribute to the magic of storytelling that's warm, huggable, overflowing with wonder and charm. Rated: 5/5 Jul 17, 2003 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 4/5 Dec 8, 2002 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3.5/5 Dec 8, 2002 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      freeson w A late-night radio show becomes a producer's nightmare after actors, businessmen, and everyone else besides the directors makes request after request to change the script and compromise the artistic integrity of the ending. The film ends with the second in command, Kudo, taking charge and making sure the Miyako Suzuki's script maintains its happy ending. I thought this was a wonderful allegory of an artist working within the business. We see small compromise after small compromise snowball into a slew of completely arbitrary changes for the script, ending up with a Frankenstein of a creation. The film is hilarious and a wonderful tale for an artist. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A very good comedy with a continuous series of comic setbacks that make this a superior film. Have seen films like this elsewhere, but this tops the lot. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A meta-flick about the art of storytelling, the production creative process in media industry... And the infinite ways they intertwine, mix and disturb one another, but all ends well, despite chances. Sweet without covering of candy reality, a great slice of life comedy aptly coming from the land of Seyuu. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member หà¸(TM)ัà¸à¸?ีà¹à¸>ุà¹à¸(TM)อารมà¸"à¹à¸"ีà¸-ีà¹à¹?à¸-à¸à¸à¸°à¸«à¸±à¸§à¹à¸£à¸²à¸°à¸>à¸(TM)à¸?ัà¸à¸à¸§à¸²à¸¡à¸<าà¸à¸<ึà¹à¸à¹à¸>à¸-ัà¹à¸à¹à¸£à¸·à¹à¸­à¸à¹à¸¥à¸¢ อยาà¸?à¸à¸¡à¸à¸²à¸?à¹à¸à¸à¸£à¸´à¸à¸à¸(TM)à¹à¸,ียà¸(TM)à¸à¸-à¹à¸£à¸·à¹à¸­à¸à¸(TM)ีà¹à¹,à¸à¸à¸£à¸ªà¸¸à¸"ยอà¸"à¹à¸¥à¸¢ à¸-à¹à¸²à¹à¸à¸£à¸à¸­à¸à¹à¸?ีà¹à¸¢à¸§à¸?ัà¸à¸?ารà¸-ำละà¸à¸£à¸§à¸´à¸-ยุ à¸à¸­à¸à¹à¸,ียà¸(TM)à¸à¸- หรือà¸-ำà¸à¸²à¸(TM)อยูà¹à¹à¸(TM)วà¸à¸?ารวิà¸-ยุà¹?ละà¹,à¸-รà¸-ัศà¸(TM)๠หà¸(TM)ัà¸à¹à¸£à¸·à¹à¸­à¸à¸(TM)ีà¹à¸à¸à¸à¸°à¸-ูà¸?à¹à¸à¹à¸>à¹à¸(TM)à¸-ีà¹à¸ªà¸¸à¸"à¹à¸¥à¸¢à¸¥à¹à¸° Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member All Is Fair in Love and Radio Station In a recording studio of a Tokyo radio station at midnight, just an hour before the live airing of a drama, shy housewife Miyako Suzuki (Kyoka Suzuki) finds herself in panic when her first autobiographical script is demanded to be rewritten by an egocentric radio drama star, Nokko (Keio Toda.) Nokko demands the character's name changed from Rituko to Mary Jane, consequently changing her background from a housewife to a gang specialist lawyer and moving the setting from a Japanese fishermen town to a courthouse in Chicago. One change leads to another. A story of a plain Japanese suburbia housewife's melodramatic love affair with a fisherman is rewritten to be a romantic spectacle between a beautiful lawyer and a handsome astronaut. Later, the series of changes writes the spaceman, Mr. McDonald out of the script. The recording room is chaotic as a chain of changes are being made during the airing. Miyako, tired of getting pushed around by egocentric actors, director, and producer, locks everyone out of and herself in the recording studio demanding a happily ever after ending. The tension amounts on the set, and everyone is put to challenge to bring Mr. McDonalds to the story. Rajio No Jikan brings the best of the screenplay writer/ director Koki Mitani's screenplay and casting. While Mitani's other sitcom screenplays are set in much out-of the-daily-life locations and mildly entertaining, it works best in the setting of a small recording studio, bringing closer attention to the dialogs and characters' dilemma. The script is so well-written that it almost seems re-makeable; however, Mitani's brilliant casting makes the film extraordinarily humorous. The equally talented and highly skilled actors are carefully chosen, and they work as an orchestra without one actor stealing the camera with great presence. This cheerfully optimistic movie is entertaining and ideally suitable for families with young adults. Though egotistical, likable characters getting around restrictions on the changed script is guaranteed to keep you laughing throughout the film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member After searching for this film for years, I finally got to watch it and glad I did. The interactions between studio staff based on the work and social hierarchy was fun to watch although at times for obvious reasons, distressing. As the film winds up though sabotage is sabotaged. Great ending! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald

      Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (1997) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis A Tokyo radio play becomes increasingly more absurd as its temperamental actors (Toshiaki Karasawa, Masahiko Nishimura) improvise.
      Director
      Koki Mitani
      Screenwriter
      Koki Mitani
      Distributor
      Toho Company Ltd.
      Production Co
      Fuji TV Movie
      Genre
      Comedy
      Original Language
      Japanese
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Feb 15, 1998, Wide
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $11.5K
      Runtime
      1h 43m