I'll Remember April (2000)

Although the horrors of WWII are far removed from the Pacific Coast community where adolescent Duke Cooper (Trevor Morgan) and his three best chums play soldier, experiment with swearing, and earnestly patrol the beach for Japanese submarines, the realities of the war are about to come crashing down around them. Not when a Japanese soldier, stranded and wounded when his sub quickly dived, washes ashore; his capture by the foursome merely allows for more playtime and thoughts of becoming heroes. It's coming because Duke's older brother is on some island awaiting combat and the black sedans with military tags have already begun rolling through town to deliver their grim announcements. And Duke's Japanese American pal Willie Tanaka (Yuki Tokuhiro), all three feet and 55 pounds of him, has suddenly become a threat to national security, so he, his mother, and grandfather are soon to be shipped away to an internment camp. For a children's film, these are strong, potent themes to discuss; unfortunately any kid will be put off by I'll Remember April's obviousness and condescending tone in a heartbeat. The script by Mark Sanderson assumes its audience needs every point spelled out twice: Duke and his friends (among them Haley Joel Osment, top-billed on the video box despite a smallish role) have the strange habit of repeating ad infinitum their conclusions about the unfairness of it all. Composer Paul Zaza apparently finds that insufficient, since his score hammers home each preprogrammed emotion without mercy. Director Bob Clark has made wonderful movies (A Christmas Story, Murder by Decree) and awful ones (Porky's, Rhinestone); this one falls somewhere in between, sincere and blessed with a clutch of good child actors, but crassly manipulative and too intent on educating its audience to realize it is talking down to them instead. --Bruce Reid Amazon.com

I Taut I Taw A Pwetty Wah

It had to happen. Someone in the well-meaning, simple-minded Hollywood Liberal community heard about the reparations paid to Japanese Americans whose property was stolen before being shipped into camps that were less nightmarish than the camps of Europe but not exactly fun either. These reparations happened not long ago, too late to help most of the poor, innocent souls whose lives were destroyed by this crackpot bit of social engineering. So, in that dreamy way of theirs, they looked out at the underpaid Japanese gardeners trimming their trees and watering their lawns and thought, "What a perfect opportunity for some mawkish, emotionally manipulative revisionist history." The result is this goopy, ponderous greeting card of a film in which America's war years are indistinguishable from lazy family picnics in summertime.

As is so often the case, excellent production value and cinematography fail to conceal a multiplicity of flaws. The picture is a symphony of war era automobiles, all in perfect condition and all recently detailed. (Apparently the war did not impede car care!) Likewise the neighborhoods, interiors, period costumes, and accessories are lovingly assembled, the overwhelming sense of place is stunning - rather like watching Leave It To Beaver - in color - without the drama. Nice to see Pam Dawber looking great, how she survived years of working across from Robin Williams in full-blown mania I will never know. Mark Harmon also looks good and is perfectly cast as an ineffectual nebbish. Haley Joel Osment nearly steals the film, not because his performance is so noteworthy, it isn't, but because his name and face remind you that outside this schmaltziness, in the larger world, are movies that matter. Pat Morita also wanders in and out, for reasons known only to his accountant.

I won't trouble you with the plot - (boy, it was hard to seriously apply that word) - because I like you. The script on this love letter is so thin it must have been written on wax paper. Suffice it to say that Director Clark would have us believe that the mean old government hatched this "internment" thing but the God-fearing local citizens - who actually did business with Japanese people and Americans descended from Japanese - thought the whole thing was "not very nice" and cleared their throats aggressively before acquiescing and buying up abandoned homes for a dollar. Like so many movies desperately searching for value, since they have brought none with them to the party, this film begins by telling you that the story is "based on true events". I'm certain that this is true, to the extent that during those times Japanese Americans breathed air, walked erect, and consumed food and water. I'm guessing that's where the similarity to anything remotely resembling reality ends. September 6, 2008

Oldie needs to come out on DVD

This is a precious story of boys in California during WWII who catch a "prisioner of war".

I believe it is based on facts.

Enjoyable for the whole family. June 2, 2008

Spectacular!

My 7th grade social studies class watched this movie this year while studying WW2. This movie was a pleasure to watch because it was very exciting and it showed you what life would have been like during WW2 on the homefront. This movie is in my opinion the best WW2 based movie for children. June 20, 2006

I'll Remember April

One of the many problems that occur when politicians declare war, even "just" war, is that people are harmed right where they live. And they are simply everyday people. This movie makes that very clear -- and makes it clear that "the enemy" are simply everyday people, too. Perhaps only politicians should fight wars. September 10, 2005

Yuki Tokuhiro

Yuki Tokuhiro is the best actor ever, i belive that in 10 - 15 years from now Yuki Tokuhiro will be in the top rank of actors!
its all about Yuki Tokuhiro
Forget Haliy jole...whatshisface, Yuki Tokuhiro should be winning awards!

Note: All scouts go find Yuki Tokuhiro! October 7, 2004

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