Robo-G (2012)

Old Grandpa Suzuki is lonely and wants to be needed. But his family isn't very understanding of the old man, so he goes out to find a part time job. Sadly, he is too old to take on a normal job. Until he suddenly finds the flyer of people, who look for someone to play a robot in a costume for a tiny stage play. When he gets the role on a very short notice, he becomes involved in a tiny fraud, that three workers of a household goods company planned to not get fired. Grandpa Suzuki finally is the star of the newspapers as the sensational robot "New Shiokaze", who can do stuff no other robot could to so far and who even is capable of saving lifes!

The trailer of the movie is really funny and cute, and to be honest, it represents the movie very well! Grandpa Suzuki is a very heartwarming and nice character. At some point you would just feel bad for him.

The three workers are funny and very basic, but that's what makes the movie so enjoyable. It's not really about the people who build the robot, but about the guy in the robot costume.

There is also a robot-fan who keeps getting involved with the trio and the robot, which made the movie a bit exciting. The trio always has to take care to not get found out and is always stressed. And while they do everything to keep the robot away from people, grandpa Suzuki is doing the exact opposite. It's so much fun to watch, how he just wants to feel needed and enjoys the attention and so on! To be honest, the best part was the ending. It made the movie even better and I could give the movie 5 stars without thinking a second time. I just enjoyed every minute of this comedy.

I suggest you to watch it, if you want a lighthearted comedy, that also shows a bit of the hardship that an old grandpa has to go through in Japan.

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Unashamedly celebrating fraud over hard work.

This movie certainly stirs up some mixed feelings, as it suggests that success can come without genuine effort, which is a bit concerning. It had the potential to be a captivating zero-to-hero tale about a group of unlikely scientists working together to create an amazing robot against all odds.

What we have here, however, is an old man, duped into posing as a robot by three electric company employees, who happens upon the truth and leverages the secret for personal gain. The narrative might've taken a more encouraging turn if the main trio had been honest. Better still, they could've simply powered down or redirected their real robot as it moseyed toward a third-story window instead of freezing in place and allowing it to face a rather unnecessary fate.

The film misguidedly tries to evoke sympathy for its less-than-heroic trio, even leading some who initially criticised them to inexplicably backpedal. A particularly outrageous scene occurs when one of the guilt-ridden trio threatens to drive them off a cliff, but is luckily interrupted by a policeman who happens by. While these characters definitely have some accountability coming their way, suicide is most drastic when a public apology would obviously have sufficed.

Throughout, the 'robot' lacks any solid evidence of authenticity yet manages to win over audiences at various events and lectures. It's only after an uncalled-for remark at a college student that anyone pauses to question whether someone might be inside it—comically, international robotics experts were skeptical from the start.

Much of the humour misses the mark, at times veering into the realm of immature fart jokes. One character’s growing admiration for the 'robot' after being saved by it could've been charming, but it ultimately leans toward bizarre and obsessive. Additionally, Gramps’ sweet bonding moment with his family as the 'robot' is sadly overshadowed by the looming secret.

And to cap it all off, the ending brazenly promises more of this monkey business to come, showing that the trio haven't learnt their lesson—now with a capricious and consequently hypocritical accomplice.

It’s quite the letdown from this legendary director, celebrated for gems like "Swing Girls", "Wood Job", and "Survival Family". That said, thankfully, he returned to form immediately afterwards.

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