Lovely Chubby (2018): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2018, Lovely Chubby is a comedy, drama and romance film directed by Hideo Jojo, running about 70 minutes. “Anyone familiar with the world of independent Japanese cinema will surely know the name Hideo Jojo, and this soft, chubby comedy! Female eroticism and cuteness are kept at a maximum throughou” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Marie is a chubby girl who's steadily paying off her debts by working at a brothel introduced to her by a black-market lending company. One day, she meets a guy on the street by the name of Kazu. Taking an instant liking to him, she invites Kazu to come live with her. It soon becomes apparent that he doesn't seem to have a job and the allowance money he receives from her goes straight on playing around. In spite of this, he is always on hand to lend Marie an ear when she talks about her insecurities. Though Kazu is somewhat of a freeloader, she enjoys living with him but things take an unexpected turn when one of her regular clients suddenly proposes to her. Marie confides in Kazu by telling him what happened. After she wakes up next day, she discovers that he has disappeared. Several days later, she finds Kazu and accompanies him to his house. Waiting for them is Kazu's wife, Mitsuko, a beautifully slim lady and the mirror opposite of Marie.

Who’s in it. Lovely Chubby stars Yurika as Marie, Umi Mitoma as Moe, Toko Namiki as Mitsuko and Fumio Moriya as Kazu, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 2.0/10, Lovely Chubby has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Lovely Chubby page.

If you liked it. Fans of Lovely Chubby tend to enjoy Forrest Gump, Parasite, Life Is Beautiful and Fight Club.