Hula Girls (Hula garu) (2006)
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50% of critics liked it
(18 reviews) -
82% of users liked it
(3,442 ratings)
As the Korean War draws to a close and the pressing demand for copious amounts of coal takes a sudden plunge, the remote Japanese mining town of Joban attempts to compensate for the devastating economic blow by transforming itself into a lavish Hawaiian retreat in an affectionate comedy inspired by… More As the Korean War draws to a close and the pressing demand for copious amounts of coal takes a sudden plunge, the remote Japanese mining town of Joban attempts to compensate for the devastating economic blow by transforming itself into a lavish Hawaiian retreat in an affectionate comedy inspired by real events and directed by Lee Sang-il. The year s 1965 and the changes that have swept through the outside world are finally reaching Joban. As the mineworkers are laid off and the women of the town take it upon themselves to gently nudge their once-prosperous community from the brink of economic collapse, the ancient Hawaiian art of the hula dance seems to offer the ideal means of doing so. Though highly fashionable Tokyo urbanite Madoka Hirayama (Yasuko Matsuyuki) at first seems terribly out of place when she arrives in Joban to teach local ladies how to saw their hips with authentic grace, her noble efforts soon instill her students with a newfound sense of confidence in both themselves, and their struggling community. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sang-il Lee
- Written By
- Sang-il Lee, Daisuke Habara
- Genres
- Drama, Art House & International, Comedy
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jul 13, 2007 Limited
- Studio
- Viz Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times
An irresistible Japanese import, Hula Girls is a crowd-pleaser so comfortable with its own clichà (C)s that it goes down smoother than a mai tai on Maui.
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Stephen Garrett, Time Out New York
The girls face prejudice from their families, while their amateur moves frustrate the dance instructor. Will they ever triumph? Just guess.
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V.A. Musetto, New York Post
Director Lee Sang-il employs every possible cliché as he shamelessly tries to manipulate viewers' emotions.
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J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
The dance floor is soon covered with syrupy melodrama.
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Bill Stamets, Chicago Sun-Times
Slick cinematography makes this bland social comedy always watchable, but the movie has its insipid moments.
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Cast
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Yasuko Matsuyuki
as Mrs. Hirayama
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Etsushi Toyokawa
as Yojiro
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Yû Aoi
as Kimiko
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Shizuyo Yamazaki
as Sayuri
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Ittoku Kishibe
as Yoshimoto
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Sumiko Fuji
as Chiyo
- Susumu Terajima
- Katsumi Takahashi
- Shoko Ikezu
- Eri Tokunaga
- Hiroki Miyake
- Masaru Shiga
- Junko Fuji
- Kojo Miyake
