An insurance man promises to buy his son a bicycle since it is the day he would get his bonus (the beginning sequence of him being kind of a loser in army drills is funny). A colleague gets fired nd the man sticks up for him nd gets fired also. His son is angry because he can't buy the bicycle. What follows is Ozu at his best: Taking a small situation and making it compelling. There is drama but also some slapstick in this film (and, in the role of the young daughter, the eventual wonderful actress Hideko Takamine) and it works because the story seems so close to home. There are lots of family moments, and your wish throughout the film is that everything will be all right (watch to find if it will be). Not a great film, but well worth your time. Ozu's next film was the excellent "I Was Born, But", and you can get them both on the box set "Silent Ozu", which have English subtitles. Recommended.
Review of Tokyo Chorus
