Shall We Dance?
Starring Koji Yakusho, Tamiyo Kusakari, Naoto Takenaka, Eriko Watanabe, Akira Emoto
Director Masayuki Suo
Opens June 27
A comedy about a jaded businessman (Yakusho) whose passion for life is awakened by dance lessons, the movie drew raves at Sundance this year. But those were nothing compared with its reception at home. Soon after Shall We Dance? hit Japanese theaters last year, ballroom dance-themed shows popped up all over Japanese TV, dance-class enrollment in the country tripled, and the film swept this year's National Film Awards, Japan's version of the Oscars. ''In Japan, TV has always taken the lead, and the movies copied it,'' says Suo, who took six months of dance lessons to research the script. ''But for TV to be copying the movies, it made me realize that the film really hit home.'' The director also hit it off with his leading lady, first-time actress Kusakari; they married shortly after the film wrapped. UPSIDE It could be a Best Foreign Language Film contender at next year's Oscars. DOWNSIDE Subtitles.
You Might Also Like
- Movie Review Shall We Dance? (1997) | Owen Gleiberman
- Video Review Shall We Dance? | Eileen Clarke
- Movie Commentary ''Shall We Dance'' is a dance movie you need to see (1997)
- Movie News The roundup from Cannes 2001 (Aug 16, 2002) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
- Review Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (May 03, 2002) | Lisa Schwarzbaum
