Tokyo Godfathers

Though it was made in Japan, "Tokyo Godfathers" doesn't resemble the vast majority of Japanese animated films. It's also very different from the most clearly recognizable Japanese animation export, the eccentric but appealing fantasies by Oscar-winning animator Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away").

Instead, "Tokyo Godfathers" is something more dramatic and considerably more down-to-earth. In fact, in a superficial way it resembles the recent French-language hit "The Triplets of Belleville" (at least in its skewed look at the people of the streets).

Not that this film is nearly as memorable as "Triplets," mind you. But "Tokyo Godfathers" does have a few things going for it, including some effectively dramatic plot points, as well as some unexpected twists.

The film's title refers to three homeless Tokyo residents — middle-aged Gin, teenager Miyuki and Hana, a cross-dresser — who find their lives changed on Christmas Eve when they find a baby abandoned beneath a pile of garbage. So they spend their holidays trying to track down the unfortunate child's parents.

However, as they have little to go on, aside from a cryptic note left on the child, that's not going to be an easy task. And their non-stop bickering about what to do when they do find the parents isn't really doing them much good.

Surprisingly, "Tokyo Godfathers" doesn't play off its biblical Three Wise Men metaphor as much as you might think. And while the film does have some humorous moments — probably not as much as it needs — the tone is heavily dramatic for the most part.

Ultimately, how audiences respond to this will depend on how they feel about the film's characters, who don't always behave in the most honorable way. In fact, only one is really sympathetic.

"Tokyo Godfathers" is rated PG-13 for some vulgar humor and references, violence (a shooting and some vehicular violence), scattered use of strong profanity, brief drug content (a hypodermic) and brief partial female nudity (a breast-feeding scene). Running time: 92 minutes.

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