Drive My Car (CREDIT: Criterion Collection/Screenshot)

Starring: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tōko Miura

Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Running Time: 179 Minutes

Rating: Unrated

Release Date: November 24, 2021

When faced with the prospect of watching Drive My Car, I summoned the memory of conquering the summit of Toni Erdmann. Back in 2016, I thought, “A 3-hour German comedy? A 3-HOUR GERMAN COMEDY?!” But then I of course bought a ticket and absolutely loved it. So would a 3-hour Japanese movie about chauffeuring enjoy the same fate from me? Alas, not quite.

I at least appreciated the uniqueness of the effort, and the Waiting for Godot scenes were certainly fun. But I never appreciated the sheer heft of the whole thing. Oh well, at least it put me in a reflective mood.

Grade: 108 Beep Beeps out of 180 Yeahs