Laundry (2002) User Reviews

Nice and Sweet

[famousgrouse · 8/10 · 1 March 2006]

I actually got this movie as a Valentine's present, and now I'm pretty sure she loves me. :D

Laundry is about boy meets girl. Boy has some issues due to an injury he suffered as a kid, girl has some issues too from a break-up she had a while earlier.

This movie is about the search for everyday happiness. It tells us we all might have something bothering us from the past but we should cherish the moments that have been given us, everyday, every moment of our lives.

Teru, the boy, shows this with his pure innocence, his ignorance maybe of what life is about. His thoughts and actions makes us see we do not need a lot to be happy. Mizue, the girl, on the other hand offers us another perspective; she is aware of being a reject and tries to fit in, without success. When she meets Teru she realises that is not the key to happiness.

The cinematography of this movie is great with nice use of colours. The soundtrack totally fits the mood of the movie, the acting is also of great quality. It all adds up to a sweet and touching story on.. Life.

If the mood strikes you this is a very sweet romantic comedy

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 6 August 2005]

A young man, who's mentally handicapped, meets a young woman, with a great deal of baggage, at the laundry where he works and they fall in love. This is a very quirky love story that was exactly what I wasn't in the mood for when I watched it. Still I stayed with it, so I laughed and cried a bit with these very quirky characters.

I'm of two minds about this movie. I want to say that this isn't a bad movie, which I know sounds like a backhanded compliment. But its the truth, its not a bad movie, so I feel rather bad having anything less than sterling about it. My problem is that the film is almost too quirky (A term I hate but unfortunately is the only thing that comes to mind when I think about this movie). Everyone is a "character" with quirky (forgive me) traits. This isn't bad, its just that I felt that my cup runneth over, especially when the film runs just over two hours.

At the same time you have to love a movie that treats its characters as individuals. I loved the fact that even though Teru, our hero, is handicapped he doesn't twitch or convulse or speak in a funny voice. He's just this guy, which is something that can be said about all of the characters, they just are. I also loved that the course of events seemed natural to the place that the story happens in, we don't have any weird twists at the end to make it more sad or more happy, its just what it is and it somehow makes sense.

I liked this but I wanted to love it. Certainly you should take a chance and see it if you come across it since it is quite good, though if you watch it like me, at one thirty in the morning, it may not hold your attention the way it should.

(Comments subject to change pending second viewing)

3 stars

[mweston · 7/10 · 18 April 2002]

The main character is a 20-year-old who works in his grandmother's coin laundry, ostensibly to keep people from stealing clothes but probably really to give him something to do. We learn that he wears a knit cap to cover the scar of a childhood wound that rendered him mentally very slow. He meets a beautiful young woman who has problems of her own.

The film actually covers a fair amount of ground beyond what I have described, including some unexpected twists, but it does so at a very deliberate pace that might be a problem for some people. The acting seems quite good, especially by the two leads, and the story is, in a word, sweet. Seen at Cinequest (the San Jose, CA film festival) on 2/25/2002.

Great Movie!

[aflameinside · 7/10 · 1 May 2005]

A slowly paced, but heartwarming love story. Like the reviewer said before me about the slow pace...it is intentional and actually gives the film a true to life feeling. The writing is great and the cinematography simple and beautiful.

As far as I know the DVD is only in a Region 3. I got it from ebay and can only watch it on my computer. The language on the box is all in Chinese, and from what I remember the language in the menu is all Chinese. I would love to see a Region 1 version come out because this is a great story that many others should see.

If you have an opportunity to see this I whole-heartedly recommend it!

Laundry for your heart: Wash away the pain!

[ethSin · 10/10 · 11 May 2008]

Imagine...

"Laundry" is a heartwarming story about Teru, a young man who suffered a brain injury at youth and Mizue, a single woman with many problems of her own. The setting of this film is extremely unlikely, but the attraction between these two were very convincing and beautiful. I absolutely loved the atmosphere of this movie, it was very calm at start, and really made me feel warm inside during the second half.

Kubozuka Yousuke is my favorite actor, and he once again delivers an amazing performance. His portrayal of a pure hearted and honest young man really inspired me. Koyuki, who I generally thought to be a weak actress was surprisingly good in this movie, she was beautiful and fit the dark role perfectly. I was really able to sympathize with her character when she was sad, and inspired when she was doing her best to change. Naitou Takashi, who played "Sally" was also very entertaining with his serious yet comedic role.

This is a slow movie, but time just flew by for me. I was completely absorbed to the story. It was insanely well-directed with an excellent flow. Direction in this film may be the best I have ever seen. There were also few comedic reliefs that really helped. Music was also perfect, simple and touching. Acting, story, music, cinematography... all perfect, an easy 10/10.

There were couple of scenes that were extremely memorable, and I cried three times. The greatness of this film can't be described by words, you must see it for yourself.

Long live your laundry...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 19 January 2016]

"Laundry" might be somewhat of an overlooked title to make it out from the Japanese cinema. And it is only my undying love and interest in the Asian cinema that lead me to this movie as I stumbled upon it in a DVD store in Hong Kong.

The story told in this 2002 romantic drama is about a young man named Teru (played by Yôsuke Kubozuka) whom suffered an injury to the head and brain during his childhood. He is now looking after the coin laundry service for his elderly grandmother. Here he meets the brokenhearted Mizue (played by Koyuki). A random chance friendship sparks as the two starts talking with each other.

For you to fully enjoy "Laundry", then you must enjoy a story- and character-driven drama. To some the storyline might be slow paced and somewhat of an enjoyment killer. But if you do enjoy these kind of movies, then "Laundry" is a rather wholesome entertaining movie that is rich on story, character development and acting performances.

The acting by the two lead talents was really great, and they really pulled their weight quite fabulously, both individually and together on the screen. There was a really good chemistry between Yôsuke Kubozuka and Koyuki.

While "Laundry" is not a drama that will have you in tears, it is still a rather enjoyable movie, and I can more than warmly recommend that you take the time to sit down and watch this 2002 Japanese movie. It is the type of drama that sinks into your soul and sticks with you for quite awhile. So thumbs up to director Jun'ichi Mori for this accomplishment.

An example of brilliant Japanese movie-making

[countzero81 · 10/10 · 14 January 2005]

I've seen many Asian movies and of course I agree that a European audience might need some 'training' to full enjoy cinematography from the far east. But this movie is different, though the time-line is typically Japanese, the storyline is simple and linear and the flow of the events doesn't contain real surprises, this movie succeeds in creating a strong affection among the audience and the characters: at the end of this movie, you'll miss them because you'll feel like you know them. Even though very intense and romantic, this movie includes very funny scenes and characters that let you relax and laugh a little. This is my favorite movie and I hope it will make you feel the way I feel every time a watch it.

Realism Discarded for Fantasy

[jcappy · 6/10 · 27 September 2023]

For the most part, "Laundry" is more convincing, realistic, real, human, and specific in the first half, and more romanticized, symbolic, magical, and transcendent in the second half. I much preferred the former.

I think the key to the breach is the reliance on a romance to move the narrative. The couple are not a real fit except perhaps in a fairy-tale. Even though Teru is a cute, cuddly guy with expressive smiles and pure intents, Mizue is clearly a step above in terms of stature and beauty. She is too much the stuff of male dreaming, especially for a coin laundry custodian. He's like a neighborhood guy who hangs out at the laundry, is burdened by a brain injury, and she is someone who seems to be moving forward in life, depressed or not. It seems like he best belongs with his typical laundry crowd , rather than with its most special customer.

In fact, I think it's his fantasy about her that puts pressure on her. It's not that he's cornering her, but that she has deep personal problems and, as such, is vulnerable to impressions. She has no real center from which to accept or deny him. And no real direction in her life to pursue on her own. And most importantly, she's under the sway of a guilt complex as an addicted and apprehended kleptomaniac. So, it's not surprising that she's often self-deprecating, too dependent, or that she regularly ties Teru's shoes for him.

The pigeon trainer, who initially belongs to the movie's compelling early realism which is so apparent in the hitchhiker scenes, becomes much less human in his home and work scenes. He not only repeats the very particular expressions from his earlier road encounter with Teru which detracts from their meanings, but he too seems now to be more a fantasy figure, signing over his middle class house and professional work to the couple, and then alighting from Japan in search of true love.

Meanwhile, the gray suburban landscape with all its burgeoning gas tanks and poverty also gets the fantasy distraction. Leaping over puddles, flying airy balloons, white ceremonial pigeons, and romantic love, do not answer to the laundry or the tanks. The fuzziness is also apparent in the seemingly several endings-- 'is this the real ending or will there be one more.'

This made me cry. An even better Benny and Joon.

[missraze · 9/10 · 29 July 2016]

Something about this movie made me fall in love the moment it started. Maybe it's because I knew Kubozuka Yousuke would do well. Just google his name, check out his filmography, scroll through his photos and admire how not only gorgeous this man is, but how eclectic his portfolio is, to me. He has this cross between Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Johnny Depp, possibly Heath Ledger. I love it. One of my top Japanese actors.

Although I've always loved escaping into and being inspired by all types of East Asian culture, Laundry started off a passion for Japanese film for me, and it's been almost a year since I discovered it, and started a collection of Asian films that holds probably over 100 movies now. This is one of the top films in my prized possession.

People say this film is slow. No it's not. It's kind of traditional in Japanese film to take its time, so to develop general patience with films from the viewers and sure to follow genuine appreciation. He was so adorable in this, and so different from his performance in two other films I had seen, one before and one after Laundry. He played a tough though professional guy in one and a street smart thug in the other, yet a soft, precocious, endearing differently-abled young man here. So cool.

I loved the leading lady who plays his girlfriend here! So pretty and with a similar personality of her other character in Pulse, a classic Japanese horror film. She was kind of emotionless, invested with her time in a relationship, but at face value not her mind or heart or affection. It symbolises the struggles of the character the viewer will later learn. Basically...she's lonely.

At the start it wasn't a relationship, however. It was a chance meeting, at a laundry place where Teru works, during a pivotal moment in the woman's life, post-breakup and struggling with depression and insomnia, hence the pills she takes. They get stuck with one another because he won't leave her alone, but as she's lonely, she doesn't stop him. They soon wind up inheriting a mutual friend's home when he leaves Japan to find love, and there is where their relationship begins. I feel comfortable calling it a relationship at this point.

The only thing I don't get is the need for Teru to be mentally challenged. His struggles take up 99% of the film so perhaps without his challenges there wouldn't be a film? I don't mind him being mentally challenged I just want to see the connection between that and the girl being depressed. What's the significance, or is it just an excuse to make a quirky film? Like a relaxed Benny and Joon? But even without his mental struggles--which really just boil down to him habitually rubbing his nose, saying inappropriately honest things that the girl and their friend learn to appreciate, and being absent-minded, however not unintelligent in the slightest--still the story would be so sweet just from the girl's perspective, being so sad and then finding someone. Perhaps it's a touch of dark humour? That someone so depressed would find love with a mentally challenged person and not too much fight this happening to them? Yet it made me still so happy for her and sad for myself at the same time that I cried more than I have for a film recently. They didn't need a huge ship sinking or a notebook disappearing to make a great love story here.

There isn't any part in the film I'd fast forward. I do that even with like Harry Potter, one of my favourite films, and adventurous, presumably always something cool, but alone, I tend to skip to my favourite parts of already seen films if I feel the parts being skipped aren't essential to enjoying or understanding it. With Laundry, again and again, I sit through it, and there are so many heart touching, heart warming moments, I literally shed buckets of tears at the end after some moments of wet eyes during the film.

A Japanese movie with a decent start but starts to get a bit slow, also the title of this movie is questionable

[KineticSeoul · 6/10 · 27 April 2011]

The main reason I decided to see this movie is because it has Yosuke Kubozuka since I enjoyed some of the films he was in. This movie showed me that actor can actually play different characters than the character I seen in a lot of the movies he was in. He played the naive character that is 20 yrs old and yet has the heart and mannerisms of a soft hearted child very well. Although in another words he is a bit of a disabled character. I first thought this would be a action or rebellious movie with some romance and even some comedy thrown in, but that wasn't it. The plot is basically about falling for someone by coincidence and the obstacles some people face in life. Especially when it comes to friendship, love and family. And sometimes it did have it's moments and was touching in some aspects even if the movie doesn't really revolve around laundry. Personally I didn't like the slow pacing of this movie, it had a decent start but gets a bit boring after a while. But it does have it's moments and can be heartwarming at times as well, also for the most part all of the main characters are likable. Vulnerable and yet likable and thus end up caring how it will all end. However the movie seemed a bit longer than it had to be.

6.5/10

A bit slow, but worth the wait

[aoi_hana · 9/10 · 20 September 2005]

I really enjoyed watching this movie. I really felt for the characters, especially Teru, played by Yosuke Kubozuka. The character is not overdone, and it seems real. Koyuki, who plays Mizue, did an excellent job as well. There's a definite sort of sadness and loneliness in both of their characters which I believe makes the them interact so well together.

But as a warning, this is definitely a slow paced movie, so if you don't have patience you might want to not watch this. I believe that this movie was good because of it's simplicity and the slow pace. Altogether an enjoyable experience!

Do you have any laundry for me?

[zhixiong · 1/10 · 4 October 2005]

Frankly, there is no significance in the title of this film. The title can be easily renamed to something else, given its weak plot and characters. Additionally, the confused amateur director, Junichi Mori, did not develop the significance of laundry.

An intellectually disabled kid, Teru (better known as Sugihara in 'GO'; made in 2001), was tasked to take care of his grandmother's laundry store. To gain some sympathy votes, Teru wears a cute knitted hat permanently attached to his head. He got into some romance issues as expected.

Mao points: 1/10

Sweet movie

[Kazuhisa · 10/10 · 7 June 2003]

This is a ove romance of the two protagonists, Mizue and Teru. Mizue can not help shoplifting after being broken up with her BF, which is her trauma. Teru, meanwhile, is innocent and slow at talking because of getting injured in childhood. He has pure soul and eyes and believes Mizue. Teru works for a coin laundry and gives Mizue her clothes she has left. They start getting to know. Even after Mizue leaves Tokyo, Teru goes to see her to hand her what she has left again. They find they need each other as they talk. With Sally, they start growng up doves and set them free as business in the celemony... Sally, a mysterious man with sunglass suddenly leaves them everything he has got and disappears. One day Mizue is caught shoplifting and sentensed to serve in the prison for 1 year, which upsets and confuses Teru.....