Friday, September 02, 2011

Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance? (1996) starring Koji Yakusho. Japanese businessman Shohei (Yakusho), during his daily commute, sees a beautiful woman looking out of the window of a dance studio. From this comes the germ of an idea -- maybe he should take ballroom dancing lessons! In Japanese culture, ballroom dancing is considered somehow shameful, like a public show of affection. Plus, Shohei starts his ballroom dancing lessons without telling his wife and daughter. Soon, he finds himself entering a competition, though it is far from a sure thing that he has the skills. This is a happy, feel-good movie that provides an enjoyable evening's entertainment -- and who knows, you may just want to kick up your heels and dance after you see it. It's in mostly Japanese, with English subtitles. The disc even provides an option of English subtitles for the hearing-impaired -- a first, in my experience. Grade: B+

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