Waikiki Brothers

Waikiki Brothers

Take a look at the true life!

Directed by Yim Soon-rye

Produced by Myung Films, CJ Entertainment

2001109 min6.8 / 10

A melancholic character study of a struggling band confronting stagnation, lost love, and the gap between youthful promise and adult disappointment in a faded hometown.

Waikiki Brothers is a band going nowhere. After another depressing gig, the saxophonist quits, leaving the three remaining members to continue on the road. The band ends up at the lead singer's hometown, which was a popular hot spring resort in the '80s, but the return home is filled with reservations of previous and past disappointments, a lost love, unemployment and tragedy.

Questions people ask

  • Is Waikiki Brothers sad? Yes, very. More sad than 92% of films.

  • Is Waikiki Brothers violent? Barely. Less violent than 76% of films.

  • Does Waikiki Brothers end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 70% of films.

  • Is Waikiki Brothers scary? Not especially. Less frightening than 65% of films.

  • Is Waikiki Brothers easy watching? About average. Almost exactly mid-range.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

53/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

Familiar shape, done well.

Rarity49

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise50

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love60

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Like Waikiki Brothers

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Waikiki Brothers

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Waikiki Brothers, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Waikiki Brothers, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Waikiki Brothers, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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