Hula Girls

September. 09,2006      
Rating:
7
Trailer Synopsis Cast

Young women in a small Japanese town look to revive their home's declining fortunes by building a Hawaiian village tourist attraction.

Yu Aoi as  Kimiko Tanikawa
Yasuko Matsuyuki as  Madoka Hirayama
Etsushi Toyokawa as  Yojiro Tanikawa
Shizuyo Yamasaki as  Sayuri Kumano
Shoko Ikezu as  Hatsuko Sasaki
Eri Tokunaga as  Sanae Kimura
Hiroki Miyake as  Mitsuo Igari
Susumu Terajima as  Ishida
Masaru Shiga as  Goro Kumano
Katsumi Takahashi as  Seiji Kimura

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Reviews

Console
2006/09/09

best movie i've ever seen.

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Brendon Jones
2006/09/10

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

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Zlatica
2006/09/11

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

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Bob
2006/09/12

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

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WILLIAM FLANIGAN
2006/09/13

Viewed on DVD. An entertaining bit of fluff based (more or less) on a real event: the unlikely founding of a Hawaiian-themed resort spa on the cold northern coast in Fukushima Prefecture's coal country! The temperature in Iwaki (the story's location) on average is about half that of Hawaii which may account (at least in part) for the spa's continuing success. Direction and acting are uneven. Comedy scenes seem to be the director's forte (there are many hilarious moments in the first half of the movie), but not drama (dramatic scenes are too drawn out and hammy especially in the second half of the film). Adult actors (and adults trying to act as juveniles) deliver the best performances. Interiors (especially the practice dance studio and performance hall) are unrealistically amusing: this may be a prosperous coal town, but it's not that prosperous! (Interiors were shot at the resort spa.) Subtitles are essential (the dialog is loaded with slang and delivered at Tokyo street speed), but tend to be a bit longish. Cinematography (16:9 wide screen) and sound are fine (the apparent remix to elicit surround-sound is especially well done). Even the production unit's name is Kawaii: "Black Diamond" (aka "coal"). WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

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timgui-1
2006/09/14

A delightful & endearing film. Hula Girls is another example of the quality, vibrancy and most important of all, the originality that can still be found in the Japanese (& French) film industries (so unlike Hollywood which is mired in re-makes) Hula Girls has many of the very typically Japanese quirkiness which mixes the history & culture of Japan with genuine humour & real human feelings combining all into a wholly entertaining film which has all the hallmarks of that other fabulous Japanese film, "Shall We Dance" A great cast which had some solid veteran performances and also showcased some very promising young talent and faces to look out for in the future.Stunning dance routines and a delightful soundtrack by Jake Shimabukuro on the ukulele.This is a film not to be missed and one to treasure on DVD.

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anniegii
2006/09/15

This film was quite dramatic. There were some very emotional scenes. I often cried. The dance scenes were simple (subtle) and quite appropriate. We get a realistic glimpse into the Japanese homes, the workplace and the local eating place, as well as some Japanese customs (particularly the sumimasen), in this small 1960's Japanese town.A Hula Dance teacher is brought to a small mining town to teach Hula to the young girls in hopes that the town will create a Hawaiian tourist attraction in the near future. The young girls are presented with an opportunity to change their fate (and unknowingly, the fate of their town). The majority of the townsfolk are in complete opposition, putting the young girls at serious odds with their families and the society in which the live. This story is loaded with dramatic personal interactions between characters. Many of the characters are developing (people becoming better persons). The sensei undergoes a bit of an attitude adjustment, inspired by her dancers. However, it is not until a climactic Hula Show that we realize the true heroine of Hula Girls.I shall recommend this to all aspiring dancers. This review was based on the Japanese film with English subtitles.

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Jamester
2006/09/16

I saw 'Hula Girl' at the Toronto International Film Festival with the affable director Lee Sang-Il present.This movie, based on the true story of how a dying coal mining town attempts the preposterous idea of building a taste of Hawaii in the cold town through dancing girls, a huge palm-tree filled centre and an 'outsider' dance teacher from Tokyo.Almost immediately, you know that this movie will be about the town's struggle to survive pitting the traditional, town-encrusted family against those supporting a potential new way of life. I had thoughts of the Japanese version of 'Shall We Dance' ringing through my mind, but perhaps the dancing is the furthest you can compare between the movies. The emotional depth of the movie was somewhat unexpected...sadness, some corniness, some laughter. Yet the movie worked where it needed to, and kept moving at the right pace leaving me at the end feeling like I had seen everything that had happened. Except that at the end, I had been so entranced with the characters I was wondering how they, themselves turned out.The movie pulled me in nicely with a strong story that was well developed and a really good watch.If you're looking for something a little different, and open to learning a little bit about life in a small Japanese town in the 1960s, I think this gives you a good feel for the people, the attitudes, and a change that took grip in a dramatic and light-hearted way.Kudos to the director and production team!

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