Oh Lucy!

Name: Oh Lucy!
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: March 2, 2018
Duration: 95 min
Rating: 69
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Kôji Yakusho, Liz Bolton, Megan Mullally

2018

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Ratings

See All

6.5

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

6.5	Your Score
6.5	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Play Sound

Please enter your birth date to watch this video:

You are not allowed to view this material at this time.

Oh Lucy!

Now Playing: Oh Lucy!

Movie Details & Credits

Film Movement | Release Date: March 2, 2018 | Not Rated

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Kôji Yakusho, Liz Bolton, Megan Mullally, Miyoko Yamaguchi, Nick Gracer, Reiko Aylesworth, Shinobu Terajima, Shiori Kutsuna

Summary: Setsuko is a single, emotionally unfulfilled woman, seemingly stuck with a drab, meaningless life in Tokyo. At least until she's convinced by her niece, Mika to enroll in an unorthodox English class that requires her to wear a blonde wig and take on an American alter ego named "Lucy." This new identity awakens something dormant in Setsuko,Setsuko is a single, emotionally unfulfilled woman, seemingly stuck with a drab, meaningless life in Tokyo. At least until she's convinced by her niece, Mika to enroll in an unorthodox English class that requires her to wear a blonde wig and take on an American alter ego named "Lucy." This new identity awakens something dormant in Setsuko, and she quickly develops romantic feelings for her American instructor, John (Josh Hartnett). When John suddenly disappears from class and Setsuko learns that he and her niece were secretly dating, Setsuko enlists the help of her sister, Ayako and the pair fly halfway across the world to the outskirts of Southern California in search of the runaway couple. In a brave new world of tattoo parlors and seedy motels, family ties and past lives are tested as Setsuko struggles to preserve the dream and promise of "Lucy."… Expand

Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 95 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper

May 31, 2018

This is director Atsuko Hirayanagi’s feature-length debut (based on her own short film), and it is a most impressive first effort. Oh Lucy! is quirky and offbeat and strange and sometimes quite dark — and yet oddly lovable. Read full review

Manohla Dargis

Feb 28, 2018

A movie in which the human comedy is by turns tender, plaintive, heartfelt and joyful. Read full review

Kristen Page-Kirby

Mar 7, 2018

“Eat Pray Love” this isn’t. Although Lucy is on a journey of self-discovery, she often hurts others in her quest for herself. That makes Hirayanagi’s take on the later-in-life coming-of-age story more honest than most. Read full review

Andrew Barker

Mar 1, 2018

Most of Oh Lucy! passes by breezily, and in different hands this could easily be a crowdpleasing comedy...but when Hirayanagi opts to plunge deeper, you realize the darkness has been there waiting all along. Read full review

Richard Whittaker

Apr 18, 2018

Not every aspect is as exquisitely structured as Terajima's bittersweet performance. An underlying subtext about reinvention never truly develops, and the idea of Lucy as Setsuko's alter ego stutters. But her performance, especially when matched by Minami's hard-sighing world-weariness, is nothing less than transfixing. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Mar 2, 2018

Director and co-writer (with Boris Yutsin) Atsuko Hirayanagi has a knack for staging scenes in a way that makes them intriguingly uncomfortable, but that doesn’t succeed in elevating Oh Lucy! from some of its more commonplace features. Read full review

David Rooney

Mar 1, 2018

While it's uneven, and at times seems almost artless in its craft, the story has an idiosyncratic charm that pays off in an unexpectedly touching ending. Read full review

SEE ALL 18 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

LegendaryLass

Dec 14, 2018

It leaves you wondering more than once if you're dealing with quirky, damaged people or cultural differences, but it's entertaining the entire way through and engenders a lot of laughs and sympathy along the way.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

justwibi

Sep 14, 2018

what a quirky drama-comedy with a lot of unexpected laugh with such a ironic screenplay.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

movieducation

Nov 27, 2018

A ragbag of tones for an old hag called OH LUCY! is sometimes delightful, amusing, then jumping off the cliff to the darker, more depressing territory. Shinobu Terajima’s heart-rending performance is worth a visit, even if her alter ego isn’t as intriguing as the blonde wig.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

GreatMartin

Mar 20, 2018

“Lucy” opens with a crowd of people on a train station in Tokyo. Most of the people are wearing surgical masks and, as the train approaches, a man, after whispering ‘Goodbye’ in Setsuko’s ear, jumps in front of the train. Not a scream is heard and everyone, including Setsuko, go on with“Lucy” opens with a crowd of people on a train station in Tokyo. Most of the people are wearing surgical masks and, as the train approaches, a man, after whispering ‘Goodbye’ in Setsuko’s ear, jumps in front of the train. Not a scream is heard and everyone, including Setsuko, go on with their lives, which for her means a dull job, living in a small apartment, obviously a hoarder and very much alone except for her niece.

It is her niece, Mika, who convinces her aunt to take over the English class she has been going and had paid in advance for which money she would lose unless Setsuko will give her the money and go to the class. Mika, for an unexplained reason, doesn’t seem to be able to turn to her mother while the sisters Setsuko and Ayako have had a falling out for years over something that is just brushed over and shouldn’t be.

Enrolling in the English class we meet American teacher John who teaches ‘American’ English like no teacher has ever taught it before and which he explains means ‘lazy and relaxed’. He puts a blond wig on Setsuko’s head after hugging her and gives her the new name of Lucy. In the class, she meets another student, Komori, who John renames Tom.

Very shortly, without giving any spoilers, the film goes from Tokyo to Southern California and goes into a completely different angle, at many points going off track.

Shinobu Terajima does an excellent job as Setsuko/Lucy showing her changes as the latter and, where she could easily be disliked, makes her likable along with being forgiven for many things she does.

Josh Hartnett as John is woefully underwritten but does what he can with the role as does Shioli Kutsuna who has a good turn as the niece once the film gets to California. Kaho Minami, as Setsuko/Lucy’s sister, is brittle, angry yet funny and, at times. Annoying as she should be. Though Koji Yakusho has a fairly small role at two points in the movie he delivers and seems the most comfortable of all the players plus what makes him the way he is certainly is explained better than any other character.

Director Atsuko Hirayanagi, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Boris Frumin, fumbles here and there, mostly when the film goes to California. There is a clumsy, unnecessary sex scene, too many flaws regarding character’s backgrounds and, possibly minor, the aunt and niece learn a lot of ‘American English’ much too quickly.

“Oh, Lucy” appears to be sold as a comedy but is definitely more of a drama. It is a quirky kind of film, certainly different and because of that worth seeing… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 4 REVIEWS