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

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Kōki Mitani. The film is set in a five star Tokyo hotel on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

and follows the misadventures of various hotel staff and guests between 10 p.m. and midnight. The film is reminiscent of the Hollywood screwball comedies 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 (Heikichi Shindo, the hotel accommodation manager), Takako Matsu (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, and radio personality. He was the youngest member of SMAP, one of the best-selling boy band, boy bands in Asia. Early life Katori was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa and moved to Tokyo to pursue his car ...

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

Keiko Toda is a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. 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 the Japanese dub of ''Thomas & F ...

(Tokiko Yabe, the deputy accommodation manager), Katsuhisa Namase (Takashi Seo), Kumiko Asō (Naomi Ohara), YOU (Cherry Sakura), and Toshiyuki Nishida (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, pop ...

star). The film was nominated for 11 Japanese Academy Awards, 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 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 Kōki Mitani 2000s Japanese films 2000s Japanese-language films Japanese-language comedy films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub