Handsome suit

It's been reported that the 2008 hit Japanese comedy, The Handsome Suit, closely resembles a South Korean movie in which a fat woman becomes svelte. Well, what's original under any sun, Hollywood's or Japan's?

In this frothy version of a cliched plot line, a self-consciously ugly and unhappy Osakan diner cook is transformed by a body suit into a fashion world icon of handsomeness. Shrek meets The Mask, so recognisably in terms of plot strands and moral conclusions that no one in Hollywood, least of all Jim Carrey, will think of purchasing the rights of remaking it.

From a non-Japanese viewpoint, the movie has problems of credibility. The "beautiful" diner assistant the cook loves has a scrawny face, uneven teeth and possible anorexia. The "handsome" model into which the cook is transformed has a wrinkled weak chin, floppy long hair, and facial, physical and vocal traits even his best friends might think a bit too camp.

Ironically, "ugly" actors always need to gain audience acceptance by conveying character better than non-uglies. Happily, comic dramatic brilliance is also provided by the actors portraying the obese middle-aged cook and the equally chubby waitress who replaces the loved one who rejected him. They are a fun-filled giggly pair who are fun to watch.

A small squad of thinly-etched supporting actors have physical distinctions reminiscent of any Brit comic movie set in Notting Hill. All of them are garbed in retro clothing items chosen by a director and/or set designer who clearly adore bold bright colours. Such dabs of blatant blue, glaring greens and ravishing reds also decorate the indoor and outdoor sets. Together with the soundtrack collection of late 20th-Century pop, they embellish the movie's deliberately old-fashioned and simple stylishness. I suspect non-Japanese will miss comic echoes in many of the period references.