Ohayo (Good Morning) (1959)

87% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
87% of users liked it
(3,281 ratings)

Yasujiro Ozu's Ohayo (Good Morning) is a comedy about a pair of boys who bring much trouble to their family and community by refusing to do very basic activities. The boys desire a television, but their father refuses. They are so insistent that the father eventually commands them to be quiet. They… More Yasujiro Ozu's Ohayo (Good Morning) is a comedy about a pair of boys who bring much trouble to their family and community by refusing to do very basic activities. The boys desire a television, but their father refuses. They are so insistent that the father eventually commands them to be quiet. They take him quite literally and refuse to speak at all, not even a typical polite morning greeting. Their impoliteness begins to weigh down both the family and the town as it goes against the ordered social structure of Japanese culture. The film is a remake of Ozu's earlier 1932 silent film I Was Born, But... ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 33 min.
Directed By: Yasujiro Ozu
Genres: Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 12, 1959 Wide
On DVD: Aug 29, 2000

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Perhaps the most delightful of Yasujiro Ozu's late comedies.
, New York Times
Cozy but tepid.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
As unpromising as all this may sound, Good Morning is another Ozu gem, a covertly sophisticated ensemble piece scripted with the intricacy and precision of a well-constructed Restoration comedy of manners.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It's Ozu's simplest and most schematic film, a lighthearted comedy that is built around the motif of changing values from the old to the new.
Tom Milne, Time Out
A brimming sense of life, in other words, gradually transforms the small talk into a richly devious portrait of humanity being human.
Jake Euker, F5 (Wichita, KS)
Ozu's most charming foray into comedy since his silent days.
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide
Ozu's delicate, wry comedy of manners takes a sympathetic but not uncritical look at life and etiquette in a small 1950s Japanese village community.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
All hail Ozu.
Scott Renshaw, Apollo Guide
This is all potentially interesting, to be sure, but the ideas are wrapped in a surprisingly innocuous package.
, Film4
This may not be one of Ozu's most acclaimed works, yet its contemplative style and its qualities of humour, tenderness and absence of cynicism make for an absorbing film.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
comparable in spirit to Fellini's Amarcord with its love of character, humor, and relentless fart jokes
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
This is a much more complex, ambiguous, and challenging film that most reduce it to.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
An amusing joke on everyday civilized formalities and the sometimes inane nature of human communication, especially within families and between neighbors.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Enjoyable and light-hearted.

Read all 14 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Luke B

Ozu said he wanted to make a film about people's inability to express the important things, but natter on about unimportant gossip. This all comes out thanks to two boys that really want a TV. They enter into a vow of silence until their TV comes. This silence is misconstrued by… More
Ozu said he wanted to make a film about people's inability to express the important things, but natter on about unimportant gossip. This all comes out thanks to two boys that really want a TV. They enter into a vow of silence until their TV comes. This silence is misconstrued by the neighbours, who think their mother is angry at them. They begin to gossip amongst themslves and rumors soon start. Meanwhile, the young boys' aunt and teacher are attracted, but fail to act on their emotions. This is a lovely little film, filled with some great humor. Though, I must admit, there was a bit too much focus on the poo/farts jokes. The two boys, especially the youngest, are very cute and make their efforts to get a TV seem less brattish. It's really sweet to see how dedicated the parents are, and even though the kids are kind of mean, they do appreciate the gift in the end. There's no escaping Ozu's look at the clashes between old and new, with the TV looming over all procedures as something that will change life. A little gem, if not one of Ozu's classics.
danny d

what a hilarious film. unlike any film ozu ever made. although this film does focus on his usual themes of family, multiple generations and the evil that is associated with gossip, the film is different in that it is an all out comedy, and one of the funniest films i have ever seen.… More
what a hilarious film. unlike any film ozu ever made. although this film does focus on his usual themes of family, multiple generations and the evil that is associated with gossip, the film is different in that it is an all out comedy, and one of the funniest films i have ever seen. the comedy brought in by the gossiping neighbors is classic, but the two main kids really steal the film. the film effectively blends potty humor with intelligent and witty dialogue, and even as an american the japanese humor was effective enough to not be lost due to cultural confusions. great comedy.
El Hombre I

I haven't seen enough of Ozu's to judge this among his body of work, but as funny as it is, Good Morning doesn't just want to laugh at poor folks, but instead is more of a comical view on society. With great attention to detail and very still camera work, it's… More
I haven't seen enough of Ozu's to judge this among his body of work, but as funny as it is, Good Morning doesn't just want to laugh at poor folks, but instead is more of a comical view on society. With great attention to detail and very still camera work, it's definitely a meditative film of two boys representing a younger generation that do not want to grow up with meaningless rituals in a world of empty adult chatter. Ozu's film is not suggesting that tv is the answer, rather talking and expressing feelings is. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=ohayo.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/ohayo.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Saskia D

I like the simpleness of this movie, so I don't want to analyze it too much. It's about boys being (little) boys and how people always talk behind each others back. Asamo is the cutest kid you've ever seen (along with Daigorô in the Kozure Okami TV series). Douse it… More
I like the simpleness of this movie, so I don't want to analyze it too much. It's about boys being (little) boys and how people always talk behind each others back. Asamo is the cutest kid you've ever seen (along with Daigorô in the Kozure Okami TV series). Douse it with a little light Japanese humor and there you have it: a beautiful Ozu. <div style="width:400px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com/servlet/embed/photo/link/11285815"><img src="http://www.flixster.com/servlet/embed/photo/11285815.jpg" border="0"/></a><div style="text-align:center;font-size:10px;"><a href="http://www.flixster.com">
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]Directed by Yasujiro Ozu, "Good Morning" is a charming movie set around a single extended household and is in general concerned with the need for politeness for any society to properly work which is an argument that certainly has its merits. On the… More
[font=Century Gothic]Directed by Yasujiro Ozu, "Good Morning" is a charming movie set around a single extended household and is in general concerned with the need for politeness for any society to properly work which is an argument that certainly has its merits. On the other hand, I do agree with Ani Difranco that nice is overrated and Douglas Adams on the sheer annoyance of always stating the obvious, especially if it involves the bus being late.(I caught myself doing this yesterday to kickstart a conversation and instantly hated myself for it.) And I would also like to point out that there is little difference that politeness alone can make in an economic downturn as depicted in this film. Setsuko(Yoshiko Kuga) lives with her sister, Tamiko(Kuniko Miyake), and their father(Chishu Ryu) who is worried about his impending retirement. Setsuko works but is also interested in Heichiro(Keiji Sada), who was laid off and now takes odd jobs(at least one of them is not door-to-door salesman) which include translations and the tutoring of her nephews, Minoru(Koji Shitara) and Isamu(Masahiko Shimazu), who occasionally do not show up in order to instead watch sumo wrestling on a neighbor's television set due to them not having one in their own home. That and a continuing barrage of leftovers is not making them happy.[/font]
Lesley N

Two young brothers refuse to talk until their parents buy them a TV while the local gossip talks a bit too much. Gentle drama with amazingly naturalistic and funny performances form the two boys in their matching woolly jumpers. <img… More
Two young brothers refuse to talk until their parents buy them a TV while the local gossip talks a bit too much. Gentle drama with amazingly naturalistic and funny performances form the two boys in their matching woolly jumpers. <img src="http://chrisfilm.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/good-morning.jpg">