Wordiezett So much average

Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

WILLIAM FLANIGAN Viewed on DVD and Streaming. To date, there are at least three movies out there with this title. Only one is Japanese. And it is by far the best of the bunch. It has become a classic "sleeper hit," probably more popular today than when first released in the mid 1990's. The main plot path is well worn: middle-age family man (Koji Yakusyo) seeking another turn at bat with an unattainable woman-in-a-dance-studio-window (Tamiyo Kusakari). By becoming an amateur expert dancer no less! The script delivers sufficient surprises and subplots to ensure the viewer's full attention. It also leaves no subplot loose ends, and provides feel-good happy endings all around (more or less). Directing, acting, camera, and music (not all of it is original) are first rate. So are the subtitles! In camera shots of the dance studio window from subway windows are especially well done. WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.

pontifikator I saw the American cut of this Japanese movie, which has several scenes and characters removed. At that, "Shall We Dance" is a charming movie with tons of heart. Written and directed by Masayuki Suo, "Shall We Dance" has something "Strictly Ballroom" lacks: depth and feeling. I'll compare Baz Luhrman with Oscar Wilde: all flash and showy surface, with nothing underneath. Masayuki Suo has created a film with characters who move us. Koji Yakusho, Naoto Takenaka, Naoto Takenaka, and the other actors are excellent in their roles.The gist of the plot is that Mr. Sugiyama (Yakusho) is an overworked salaryman who spies a lovely younger woman in the window of a dance studio on his way home from work on the train. He has a wife, a daughter, and a mortgage, and no dreams. He takes up ballroom dancing to meet the younger woman, whose father owns the studio and who gives lessons. Dancing, of course, becomes a metaphor, and his fellow students grow from awkward, nameless bumblers to awkward, feeling humans as he (and we) learn to know them. The changes in the minor characters are more dramatic than the subtle growth of Mr. Sugiyama.In "Shall We Dance," learning dance means proceeding from our awkward, graceless first steps to feeling the music and trusting your partner. Feeling emotion and trusting your partner and yourself go hand in hand with learning the dance. The process gets a little heavy-handed as characters spell it out for us, but it didn't detract from the emotional investment we make in watching the characters grow.The movie is often funny without being a comedy, and it's not a romance with budding young love -- Mr. Sugiyama is in his forties, and his dream girl has no romantic interest in him. But they develop a relationship on another, still meaningful level."Shall We Dance" is also the title of a 1937 Astaire-Rogers film, and the Japanese version was remade under the same title in 2004, starring Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez. I have not seen either of these two movies.

G K A Japanese salaryman (Koji Yakusho) feeling jaded by work and bored with his family life, joins a ballroom dancing class.Shall We Dance? is a delightful comedy, dealing with a modest, humble man's search for exuberance, spontaneity and passion in a life he finds restrained and crushing. It has a sweetness that is remarkably unforced. The film performed strongly in American theaters earning roughly $9.7 million during its US release. At the Japanese Academy Awards it won 14 awards, every award it was eligible to win. A disastrous American remake, starring Richard Gere, was released in 2004.

jeffreylincoln This film is a marvel of character study. No character in this film is flawless, and as we learn of their human weaknesses, we are drawn in by empathy and curiosity.There are some genuinely touching moments dealing with embarrassment, joy, and humor. If you are a ballroom dancer or have ever taken lessons, you will draw on that experience as you watch.This could be a good family film if the kids are old enough (12?) and can deal with the subtitles. You might have to explain why a wife would hire a private detective to spy on her husband. I would say this is a great date movie. The ending is nothing surprising but is very satisfying and well scripted and filmed.