Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

noonward All About Lily Chou-Chou is a movie that deals in teenaged alienation and admiration. Based around a fictional popstar named Lily Chou-Chou, the characters inhibit a sense of realism that makes the movie perfectly palatable to a bigger audience. However on a technical term, the movie brings together a number of creative methods. The emails (or messageboard) that are strewn throughout display a strong realisation of our admiration towards such media personas. It also explores the idolism we give out to people that influence and connect with us through an art form, which in this case is music.Some of the scenes can be confusing as there is not too much coherence throughout the movie in terms of a plot line however we see scenes of suburban torment, beautiful acres of green fields that are superbly shot and long shots of beaches and the sea. Also contained in the movie is two opposing sides of teenaged life; care-free fun and angst-filled isolation. The story of Kuno is a sad one, we see her raped and see her head shaven which ends up leading to her death. We also see classroom violence which may very well be exaggerated for melancholic effect but definitely has a profound influence on the viewer.A lot of things about this movie make it an interesting watch but my only concern with it is that maybe it's too long. Due to the 146 or so minute runtime, there are times where I felt parts could be cut down. The padding out the director has took with the movie does take away from the enjoyment of it and perhaps with a little more editing, I would find the movie more engrossing. However, the film does generate a good amount of interesting scenes and relatable characters which doesn't make the movie a chore to watch. Nothing here is challenging except for the overkilled duration. But with the right state of mind, one may enjoy the floating camera shots of urban and rural Japan.

tedg I don't know why I bother with Hollywood when there are so many rich projects like this hiding in corners. The problem of course is finding them. The most significant benefit I get from writing IMDb comments is that readers lead me to them. That happened in this case.If you are an ordinary viewer , you probably won't like this. Its yet another dip into high school angst, overly long and structurally a bit too cute.I think you'll have to train yourself to watch films lucidly, but if you do, this will be quite effective. You will fall into it and really be influenced, much more viscerally than say "There Will be Blood," where there is no path for us to enter the world we watch.The matter of this concerns teen alienation, particularly through how we/they take things that happen and weave them into whatever simple, grand narrative is available — usually through commercial pathways. Its a simple chord to strike, but one we all know, both from when we were that age, and from how we live now, which is only a half degree separated.You'll encounter death, teen prostitution, rape. Gang dynamics involving intense humiliation. Clueless adults of course. Sexual drives and identity vacuums of course, but subordinated to the more overwhelming urge to be part of a cosmic story. Usually, we ignore this in film, because sex and role are inherently more cinematic. Less true, but easier to show as true.Its the multiply nested structure that makes it work. The scenes are presented non- linearly. The overriding narrative is not what we see, but a collection of instant messages exchanged among the characters we see. These evoke the images we see, perhaps not as they happened, but as they are recalled. There's an overarching cosmos that these text messages reference, an abstract, perfect world of ethereal dynamics conveyed through a goddess, a girl singer. The slightest nuance from, the smallest bit of news about, the slightest rumor concerning this singer provides ledges for a life, for a whole gaggle of lives bumping up against each other.In the center of this thing, you have a radical departure. All of a sudden, instead of the camera anchored in the test messages, we have a camera rooted in reality. Its literally footage from video cameras from the core teen boys as they go on an exotic vacation to Okinawa. Naturally, the four spindly 14-15 year olds are guided by four of the most appealing older girls in memory. Its colorful, jerky. Full of life, a real, embodied life that by its appearance makes all the rest of the thing seem incredibly sad in its artificiality.Someone knew what they were doing when they put this together. Someone deep and true and of the kind we need more of if we are to make it through. Or do I hang my life on commercially available narrative too?Heh.Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

ArtWendeley I admittedly liked the camera and some of the pictures in the movie but other than that All about Lily Chou Chou had little to offer for me. Another story about bullying mixed with another story about some mysterious force (Ether, there's a long list of movies and video games from Japan with similar topics). The movie has a length of almost 2 1/2 hours, but even though I like lengthy movies and long-shot scenes which are often used in Japanese cinema, I got the impression the the time was almost utterly wasted in Iwai's allegedly "intelligent" movie. I don't want to complain too much about how the same topics are being used again and again, but at least try to bring in some new points of view and add some thoughts.From a very subjective point of view I'd also like to state that all that arrogant talk about "Lily Chou Chou" from the chat room annoyed the living hell out of me. And Iwai-san, you shouldn't have mentioned the Beatles.This movie could've been brilliant, but considering the incredible story flaws it's hardly average and I'd definitely suggest to expect as little as possible if you're already familiar with Japanese cinema. I could imagine though that it is very intriguing if you haven't seen any Japanese movie before.

layla ramsay I have been living in Japan for a couple of years, but have just recently begun to take an interest in Japanese movies. I have never watched a western movie and been left staring at the screen as the credits roll, unable to move for at least 5 minutes, which is how i seem to find myself at the end of every Japanese movie i have watched.... The latest was All About Lily Chou Chou. The best one yet. The story is so true to life, especially in Japan, and i liked how it showed how completely useless adults can be for teenagers going through that high school "phase" battling with life and their own emotions and insecurities, and dealing with the true nastiness of the kids they are surrounded by every day. The soundtrack (!!!) played a huge part in making this movie what it is, and i'm pretty sure i will be listening to it for years to come. I was hooked right at the beginning. Cinematography was also out of this world, some of the simplest of scenes were just so beautiful. Admittedly, the story is quite hard to follow at times, but i really can't hold that against it, because it did all make sense to me in the end... and if anything it gives you an excuse to watch it over and over again! All i can say is if your looking for some light entertainment this movie is probably not for you. But for those of you looking for something a bit deeper, get your tissues, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!