Otoko wa tsurai yo (Am I Trying) (It's Tough Being a Man) (Tora-san Our Lovable Tramp) (1974)

• 56% of users liked it
  (78 ratings)

This riotous 1969 comedy was the first in a series of 28 (counting up to 1981) and except for two instances, all were directed by Yoji Yamada. The main character is Torajiro played by Kiyoshi Atsumi, a Japanese version of Charlie Chaplin's tramp who breeds disaster wherever he innocently treads. He… More This riotous 1969 comedy was the first in a series of 28 (counting up to 1981) and except for two instances, all were directed by Yoji Yamada. The main character is Torajiro played by Kiyoshi Atsumi, a Japanese version of Charlie Chaplin's tramp who breeds disaster wherever he innocently treads. He is a traveling salesman, and under the circumstances, surprisingly care-free in spite of the chaos he effortlessly generates. In one sequence, he arrives home after a long absence and manages to leave his younger sister's wedding plans in tatters. Hoping to right the wrongs, he leaves for awhile, but when he returns, things just get worse. Can Torajiro ever save face and get things straightened out? Probably not, given he has 27 more tries coming up. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi