Reviews

It was so refreshing not to see Hugh Grant doing his typical bumbling character. I enjoyed the story very much and thought it was believable. There are a lot of American small jokes in the film that some British viewers may not catch, but I still think it was very funny and anyone will enjoy the film. There were plenty of funny moments and if you happen to be a 38 year old woman like myself, you'll understand that we still love our teen idols from the 80's! I don't know how believable the character Cora was. Seems like she had older women in the audience rather than the 12 year olds that would seem more likely. And it's very unlikely that the writer of a song would get as much credit during a concert. Just small observations were annoying, but it is Hollywood after all. The 80's references were quite funny and I would say that this movie is definitely geared to people in their mid- to late 30's. It's a non-thinking movie, just be prepared to be entertained.

In my opinion there is no comparison of this movie to Memoirs of a Geisha. 2 different stories, 2 different ideas! I have studied the geisha culture for many years. Although I find the situations and acting farcical, the effort of getting seem like it could happen are spot on. The kimono and other attention to detail is perfect. The katsura (wigs), kimono, atmosphere of an okiya was exactly right.

Of course geisha would not behave in the manner that they have in this movie. They are much more disciplined and discreet. They would spend many hours practising their lessons of dance, music, etc. They are not prostitutes and never have been, so therefore having sex in an ochaya (tea house) is extremely unlikely to happen. Also the practise of mizuage wasn't correct in this film. It did happen, no longer happens, but did not occur just after a girl became a maiko. It usually took place a couple of years into her apprenticeship. And 3 million yen is pretty excessive even for a very wealthy man to spend on just any old maiko.

This movie paid much attention to small details. And it starred Japanese actresses who can wear kimono and hairstyles correctly. That made such a big difference to the overall feeling of the film. I would highly recommend this film for any geisha, kimono enthusiast. It was entertaining. It is NOT a documentary, so don't expect one.

I had read all of the reviews of this before I went to see the movie. I wanted so much to like this film but was very worried that I wouldn't. As it turns out I enjoyed it very much and the faux pas made on the part of Hollywood did not put me off. The sets and scenery are brilliant. The one thing that still bothered me was the incorrect maiko and geisha hairstyles. I think they could have done that properly and didn't need to enhance the actresses faces. I also found the pronunciations of certain words grinding. Overall, I still managed to sit back and enjoy the story. This movie should win awards for cinematography. I strongly recommend you see the movie and make a judgement for yourself.