
Shall We Dance? (1996)
- Mon, Jul 28
Director: Masayuki Suō Run Time: 136 min. Rating: Not rated Release Year: 1996 Language: Japanese
Starring: Akira Emoto, Eri Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Naoto Takenaka, Tamiyo Kusakari
Original title: Shall we dansu?
Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) seems to have it all – a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while commuting on the train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing.
In Japanese with English subtitles.
“An implausibly charming comedy.” – The New Yorker
“”[O]ne of the more completely entertaining movies I’ve seen in a while–a well-crafted character study that, like a Hollywood movie with a skillful script, manipulates us but makes us like it.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“Like the breathtaking number from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical The King and I, from which the film takes both its title and inspiration, Shall We Dance? will sweep you off your feet.” – Austin Chronicle
“Funny and poignant, this is entertainment in it’s kindest and swishiest form.” – Empire Magazine
“The movie has a great deal of zest and charm, and Yakusho gets so exactly that crest of melancholy that is a man’s early 40s, until he decides to go for another kind of life, that the movie is infinitely touching.” – Washington Post
“[A]n amazingly moving performance by Koji Yakusho.” – Slate Magazine
“This charming comedy uses dance as a metaphor for individual expression, risk-taking and intellectual flight.” – New York Daily News