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| Koji Yakusho | Shohei Sugiyama |
| Tamiyo Kusakari | Mai Kishikawa |
| Naoto Takenaka | Tomio Aoki |
| Hideko Hara | Masako Sugiyama |
| Eriko Watanabe | Toyoko Takahashi |
| Akira Emoto | Toru Miwa |
| Masahiro Motoki | Hiromasa Kimoto |
| Reiko Kusamura | Tamako Tamura |
| Shuichiro Moriyama | Ryo Kishikawa |
| Misa Shimizu | Natsuko |
| Hiromasa Taguchi | Masahiro Tanaka |
| Yu Tokui | Tokichi Hattori |
| Masayuki Suo | Director, Screenwriter |
| Kyoko Heya | Production Designer |
| Kazuhiro Igarashi | Executive Producer |
| Tetsuya Ikeda | Producer |
| Hiroyuki Kato | Executive Producer |
| Naoki Kayano | Camera Operator |
| Jun'ichi Kikuchi | Editor |
| Tetsu Maeda | Casting |
| Shoji Masui | Producer |
| Yuji Ogata | Producer |
| Shigeru Ohno | Executive Producer |
| Yoshikazu Suo | Songwriter |
| Tasuyoshi Tokuma | Executive Producer |
| Seiji Urushido | Executive Producer |
| Kiyoshi Yoneyama | Sound/Sound Designer |
lewisgatlin
Posted October 1, 2010
For those that may have only seen the American remake of this movie, starring Richard Gere, you should see the original Japanese version. I think you'll see the first is the best. This story of an office worker trapped by a large mortgage, a mind-numbing job, and a marriage where every day goes by exactly the same, starts slowly with an offhand glance from a rail car. Each step of the path up to the dance academy is a difficult decision. But the potential for great reward drives our repressed salaryman, Mr. Sugiyama, to overcome his fears and sign up for dance lessons.
With not a single cardboard character around, the movie shines with realistic portrayals throughout. And while you hope for, and expect, a happy ending, you won't be sure about the outcome until late in the game.
So there's just one question left...shall we dansu?
Anonymous
Posted November 25, 2003
Having lived for nearly 3 years in Japan, the honesty and tenderness shown in this film rang true for me. The characters were much like real Japanese we got to know. This is an unusually sensitive Japanese film and a delight to watch!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 26, 2002
I loved this movie. The characters were developed cleverly through out the film. The plot is simple but intriguing. The class may not be filled with students, but that seems to be the point. For the proper Japanese Culture, dancing is looked down on. I thought it was eloquently put, not being abrasive in any way. This movie does not have the color and the lights of ''Dance with Me'', but it toched my heart as well.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 24, 2002
I dont know if I would call it the best movie I ever saw, but I found it clever, amusing and quite charming. I haven't seen many funny Japanese movies, but this one was special. The characters were both odd and engaging and the story was quite good. By way of comparison, Strictly Ballroom is fun, but it's about people who know they like to dance, know how to dance (for the most part) and the fun for the audience is watching them have to find out if they have the nachos to dance the very best they can. It's a great movie, but in that regard it's a little formulaic. The story behind Shall We Dance is a little bit more delicate. Think of it this way: If you have ever found yourself walking home at night from your job and just wondered why you shouldn't keep walking and go into some new life that has nothing to do with what you spend all your time doing (job, family, house, bills, etc.) then I think you might be interested in this movie, since that is the problem our hero faces. He's a guy who seems to have everything (Japanese salaryman), but feels like he has nothing. Until he stumbles into the world of dancing. Somehow it brings life back to into him, and seeing that a movie like that could be incredibly sacharine and sentimental, that's a pretty bold story to make if you want to make it into something special. I don't know much about dance classes and how accurate the depictions were, but I know that I felt the awkwardness and timidity of the beginners as if I was there myself, and I laughed the whole way through. Maybe it's not a movie for picky dance afficionados, but for the rest of us it was fun to watch them struggle and learn. My favorite character is the guy who does the latin dance and he just has this way of being so funny. It's not his jokes, or his lines, it's just the terrible way he dances. Like watching Elaine from Seinfeld dance makes you laugh. Years after seeing it in the theater, i still laugh when I think about that guy.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 3, 2002
The overall story is nice but the movie is much longer than necessary and it lacks those elements which makes you remember it for long time. Only few characters in this movie are normal and watchable. The other characters are just gross and irritating. The dance class in the movie doesn't look like dance class with only five students enrolled. Surprisingly, all of them enters the dance competition. Technically movie is mediocore and sentimentally doesn't touch your heart
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 29, 2001
This movie made me laugh and cry. It is a must-see for dancers. Shall we dance criticizes the role of men and women in Japanese society very well. At the same time, it is a man's struggle to dance well.
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Overview