(also known as ''Suite Dreams'', ''Wow-Choten Hotel'' or ''Suite Hotel'') is a 2006 Japanese

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

, written and directed by

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

Kōki Mitani is a Japanese playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director and was previously married to Japanese actress Satomi Kobayashi. He was named after ''Taihō Kōki'', the youngest sumo wrestler to become yokozuna. He studied dramatics at Nihon U ...

. The film is set in a five star Tokyo hotel on New Year's Eve, and follows the misadventures of various hotel staff and guests in the run-up to midnight. The film is reminiscent of the Hollywood

screwball comedies Screwball comedy is a subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, beginning in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s, that satirizes the traditional love story. It has secondary characterist ...

of the 1930s and 1940s, and explicitly references the 1932 film '' Grand Hotel'', whose plot also followed the interlinked lives of various characters in a fictional hotel over a short period. Cast members include:

Kōji Yakusho , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor. He is well known for his starring roles in ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996), ''Cure'' (1997), ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' (2005), '' 13 Assassins'' (2010), ''The Third Murder'' (2017), '' The Blood of Wolv ...

(Heikichi Shindo, the hotel accommodation manager),

Takako Matsu (born June 10, 1977) also known as is a Japanese actress and pop singer. Personal life Matsu was born to a family of buyō and kabuki actors, including her father Matsumoto Hakuō II, her mother and businesswoman Noriko Fujima, her uncle, ...

(Hana Takemoto, the chamber-maid with a case of mistaken identity), Kōichi Satō (Katsutoshi Mutōda, the disgraced politician),

Shingo Katori is a Japanese actor, singer, television host, radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band in Asia. After the group's disbandment on 31 December 2016, Katori has been pursuing his solo career. He left ...

(Kenji Tadano, the bell boy with musical aspirations), Ryoko Shinohara (Yōko, the call girl),

Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and narrator from Nagoya, Aichi. Her most famous role is the voice of the children's hero Anpanman on the long running anime ''Soreike! Anpanman''. She was also the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine in t ...

(Tokiko Yabe, the deputy accommodation manager),

Katsuhisa Namase is a Japanese actor, known primary for his roles in Japanese television dramas. His roles are often positions of authority, such as managers, principals, or police officers, but many of these characters also share a certain kookiness and incom ...

(Takashi Seo),

Kumiko Asō , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress. She is also a model and has participated in several commercials. Career In 1995, Asō made her film debut in ''Bad Guy Beach''. With her role in the 1998 film '' Dr. Akagi'', she receive ...

(Naomi Ohara), YOU (Cherry Sakura) and

Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. He has won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for '' The Silk Road'' (1988) and ''Tsuribaka Nisshi 6'' (1993). He has also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for '' Get Up!'' and '' Tsuribaka Nisshi 14'' (200 ...

(Zenbu Tokugawa, the aging

enka is a Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern ''enka'', however, is a relatively recent musical form, which adopts a more traditional musical style in its vocalism than '' ryūkōka'' music, ...

star). The film was nominated for 11

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

, but did not win in any of the categories.

Plot

The plot involves numerous characters, the different problems or situations they face in the run-up to midnight, and the ways that these different storylines interact and are resolved. The various storylines include: * Shindo, who used to work in the theatre, and who tries to hide the fact that he is now a hotel employee when his ex-wife unexpectedly arrives at the hotel. * Shindo's ex-wife's husband, who is in the hotel to receive an award from a

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the re ...

fertility research organisation, but is afraid his affair with Yōko will be found out. * Yōko, the call girl who is having an affair with Shindo's ex-wife's husband, and gets involved with Mutōda in the course of the night. * Takemoto, a chambermaid who is mistaken for the mistress of a wealthy elderly man. The elderly man's son offers her money to leave his father; she tries to ensure that the couple can remain together. * Mutōda, a Senator who is in the hotel hiding from the media, following his involvement in a corruption scandal. He is also the father of Takemoto's son. * Kenji, a bellboy who wants to be a musician, but has decided to give up on his dream. * Zenbu Tokugawa, the veteran

star who is suicidal when not performing on-stage.

Reception

The film was the third highest-grossing domestic film at the Japanese box office in 2006 and, as of January 5, 2015, is the 93rd highest-grossing film in Japan, with ¥6.08 billion.

References

External links

*
Review of the film
at Dreamlogic.net 2006 films Films directed by Kōki Mitani 2006 comedy films Japanese comedy films Films with screenplays by Kôki Mitani 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub