Search - Shall We Dance? on DVD

Nice movie for all ages - for a nice quiet viewing

Susan Chen | East Hartford, CT United States | 06/07/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"No sex, no violence, nothing suggestive...good clean family movie. The story can touch people of all ages because it addresses: boredom in a stable marriage, a suspicious spouse, a teenager embarrassed of her parent, people with "two left feet" who try to learn how to dance, the difference between good teachers and bad teachers, fear of failure, unrequited love (or the secret admirer), family enstrangement, persistence, how one of your office co-workers could be leading a double life, how to handle public embarrassment, and friends who come from unexpected places. The story is well organized, and even if you don't read the subtitles you would have an idea of what's going on. My favorite parts are watching the students go from slowly learning the basic steps, all the way to the beautiful moves and costumes of the competition dances. Shows an interesting perspective of office life in Japan, and also brings the universality of ballroom dancing to all cultures. Quite a few moments of light comic relief in the form of one particular quiet co-worker who afterhours imagines himself as a legendary champion dancer. The film shows that it's never too late to try dancing lessons. Great introduction if the thought of dancing ever crossed you mind. Maybe, you'll take that first step; with this movie at least you understand what to expect if you ever go to a dance studio. Have courage...after watching this movie, you'll KNOW that you could definitely do better than some of the dance students in this charming movie!"

Yes, I'd love to "Dance"

E. A Solinas | MD USA | 10/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Masayuki Suo won over audiences across the world with "Shall We Dance?", a sweet crowd-pleasing dance flick. Despite its serious look at Japanese culture, it's a charming and funny story about a man struggling to inject some sparkle into an unfulfilling life, and the dance that helps him do it.

Shohei Sugiyama (Koji Yakusho) is a successful businessman, with a lovely house, loving wife, and a lovely teen daughter. But though he has everything a person could want, he is unhappy and doesn't even know why. But one day on the way home, he sees a beautiful woman (Tamiyo Kusakari) looking sadly out of a dance studio. He sees her there every day, and eventually he hops out of the train and signs up for dancing lessons.

Since ballroom dancing is frowned on in Japan, Sugiyama keeps his lessons a secret, and it's a bit of a struggle for him to overcome his natural stiffness. Because of his odd hours and the perfume on his shirts, his wife is afraid that he's having an affair, and hires a detective to follow him. But after Mai rejects him, Sugiyama begins to have a love affair -- with ballroom dancing itself.

There's something very sweet and pure about "Shall We Dance?", which you hardly ever see in movies. Not just because of the lack of naughty material in it, but because the story itself has a sweet joy just ingrained into the dancing, the dialogue, and the way Sugiyama drags himself from the doldrums.

In Japan, ballroom dancing is considered kind of embarrassing and seductive, which gives Sugiyama's passion for the dance a "forbidden fruit" quality. But the film doesn't lapse into cliche territory. Sugiyama's affection for the beautiful Mai is based in something more than attraction, since he senses that she is as sad as he is. Their growing relationship is a beautiful thing to watch.

But don't think that it's all dancing and depression. Masayuki Suo gives the film some comic flair with a systems analyst who clearly has fantasies about being a wild-dancing Latin lover. But the director never descends to slapstick or hijinks, preferring to stick to the warm'n'fuzzy brand of comedy. The scripting is solid, with plenty of quotable gems like "Dance is more than the steps. Feel the music and dance for sheer joy." That could have been the tagline for this film.

Koji Yakusyo is entirely lovable as Sugiyama -- you can actually see this everyman getting happier as he gets more and more into his dancing lessons. Ballerina Tamiyo Kusakari plays Mai with sensitivity and depth, managing to convey a wealth of emotion in small gestures. The supporting characters, like the graceless Tanaka and the hysterical Aoki aren't as well fleshed out, but they are lovable.

"Shall We Dance?" is a unique little movie about joie de vivre. It's not a truly great film, but it is a wonderful one that will leave you with a smile on your face."