Film: Getting Any?
Release date: 11th May 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 105 mins
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Dankan, Tokie Hidari, Beat Takeshi, Shoji Kobayashi
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Second Sight
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Around the time of its release back in 1994, Getting Any? marked a departure from Kitano’s previous work. Up until this point, Kitano’s movies were a mix of slow burner crime thrillers (Violent Cop, Boiling Point and Sonatine) and a truly beautiful romantic drama entitled A Scene At The Sea. However, before becoming an actor and director, he was as famous as a comedian, so, in some ways, Getting Any? represent’s the real Takeshi Kitano.
The movie follows Asao. A naive and totally goofy man obsessed with sex. He tries to pursue his sex-crazed fantasies, one being to own a car and have car-sex with many different women, but after this scheme goes pear-shaped, he tries to find other ways to attract women into having sexual intercourse with him. Without ever thinking of simply getting to know a woman, he goes to ridiculous lengths to pursue this dream, plotting schemes in order to achieve popularity.
At every chance of succeeding - for example, stealing money from a bank, finding treasure or becoming an actor – Asao somehow always fails. Eventually, he gets caught up into some sticky situations, which might literally crush his dreams forever…
Those who are familiar with Kitano’s work will be aware of the style of his filmmaking. His movies tend to avoid cinematic conventions, a traditional narrative pace or structure, have sudden eruption’s of graphic violence, elements of repetition, dead pan acting, and subtle moments of comedy and slapstick – this subtlety is lost here.
Kitano once stated: “I’m a comic and famous as such, but this film is a film made by a comedian to make fun of himself. Usually, a comedian who makes a comedy takes his jokes quite seriously. Here I did anything I wanted and strung the gags together crudely.”
That statement is reflected in Getting Any?, which contains some of the funniest moments of any Kitano movie. Fans who admire the humour in his movies will be enthusiastic as Kitano throws in countless jokes and punch lines - and it’s certainly unpredictable (Kitano’s humour shifts from genius to sheer craziness, and you may wonder whether you are laughing at the jokes or the movie itself). But you couldn’t dismiss Getting Any? as simply a series of comedic sketches - in the midst of all the bizarre events that unfold, you still find yourself rooting for the pathetic central character. This is because Kitano ensures you are acutely aware of this man’s determination and desperation.
Kitano undermines and parodies many famous Japanese films and characters throughout. These include The Lone Wolf And Cub series, Godzilla, and even an entire segment parodying a later film he would make: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsmen. These parodies completely undermine their iconic statuses - not only re-inventive but also incredibly hilarious. This is, of course, if you know these references.
In other cases, there are prolonged references to classic American popular culture films and music. The Michael Jackson parody is not that memorable, whilst the long finale - a direct reference to The Fly - borderlines on Scary Movie territory. However, this is the point that Kitano is making, he is undermining the audience with his mockery of the comedy genre. Whether you like it or not, his constant surreal comedy is both hilarious and totally bonkers.
Getting Any? certainly creates a false representation of Kitano’s work, however, if you are a fan of Monty Python or surreal comedy, this will be right up your alley. TJP
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