Customer Reviews

Hula Girls

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those that have watched the Full Monty, Brassed off, you have a good idea of what to expect. Yes, the story might be cliche but it's done very effectively in this offering. Yet again, this is based upon a true story in a rural township in Japan in the mid-60s when the mining town is facing the dire situation of extinction as the main industry of mining coal is coming to an end. A scheme is suggested to revive employment there by having a purpose built bath resort with a Hawaiian theme. To do that, it needs hula girls. In the beginning, recruiting the dancers is a tall order as Japan during that time is still conservative and baring too much flesh is a definite no-no. However, there is a stubborn girl who steadfastly refuses to give up even though she's being excommunicated from her mother who happens to be a mining comittee member anti progressive movement. However, she has a loving and supportive elderly brother who encourages her to follow her dream. She would subsequently become the lead dancer. Normally, a Hollywood offering would concentrate in training those misfits into successful people and we would sit through the routine of artificial gags to make us laugh. For this instance, there is actually character development through the dancing teacher who is recruited from Tokyo. She has a ferocious temper and running away from her demon for not being able to hit the big time in Tokyo. As time progresses, as she sees commitment in eyes of those miners' daughters, she suddenly discovers herself by having a goal to turn the fate of the dying town around. Hula Girls is a surprisingly touching movie and I'm deeply moved by it. It's really amazing to read the end credit to say that Hula Girls are still running strong today and that the same teacher is still doing her thing at that resort now. Highly recommended for a shot in the arm to follow our dreams.

Probably the biggest surprise of "Hula Girls", and what gives it such impact, is how it comes out of left field with its depth and emotion. What appears to be a by-the-numbers feel good movie, about a bunch of fish-out-of-water types who aspire to something more, to the tune of "Shall We Dance?" or "The Full Monty", ends up being a brutal and violent tale, filled with prejudice and entrenched small town thinking. This is "Billy Elliot". This is "Coal Miner's Daughter".

Life is hard for coal miners, and during the mid-60s when demand for coal dropped off and the mines started closing, it became harsher still. One of the lofty dreams of Japan at the time was the concept of life-time employment, where a company was your family and they looked after their employees faithfully. Many such projects as the Joban Hawaiian Center were started at that time, attempting to replace vanishing industries with tourism and supplying new employment for company workers. It was an admirable goal, rather than just discarding unneeded laborers to fend for themselves. Most of the time it ended in failure, and the various "Canada Lands" and "Holland Centers" that populated the Japanese countryside are now all barren ruins. The Hawaiian resorts still stands though, and the Hula Girls are still dancing.

Very loosely based on this true story, director Sang-il Lee artfully mixed the dull colors of the mining world with the bright promise of a better future in the flashing colors of Hawaii. Korean-Japanese, Lee knows something about the harshness of attempting to bring new thoughts to a closed community, as he has shown in his first film "Chong". He also understands the freedom and resilience of youth, having adapted Ryu Murakami's youth-rebellion novel "69". All of the actors shine as well, especially Yu Aoi as the lead dancer Kumiko.

Some of the appeal of "Hula Girls" will probably be lost on Western audiences, especially the performance of Shizuyo Yamazaki as the giant girl Sayuri. Yamazaki is a famous comedian in Japan, known for her gruff manner and wearing guy's clothes, so seeing her dance around in a hula skirt is especially charming. She also puts enormous depth into her character, something I didn't think she was capable of as an actress, and was quite moved by.

If one has an interest in 1960s Japanese film one might be familiar with the documentaries of Ogawa Shinsuke whose main themes centered on those at the margins of Japanese society: fishermen, dirt farmers, and students from blue collar families who were unable to receive the proper help to finish their coursework. Ogawa's films along with the films of Imamura Shohei, Oshima Nagisa, and others attempted to bring attention to those downtrodden by Japan's economic miracle. However, as time passed and Japanese film lost a bit of its social critical air, films like those of the aforementioned directors ceased to be.

Of recent, films that contain a bit of social critique while aiming for mainstream appeal have been on the rise such as/ Sai Yoichi's Where is the Moon? (1993) and Blood and Bones (2004) and Yukisada Isao's Go 2001) tackle the Korean issue in Japan. In recent years the resident Korean director Lee Sang-il has made some waves with his films 69 (2004) and Scrap Heaven (2005), however, it is his 2006 film Hula Girls that has truly put him on the map.

Set in the poor, northern mining town of Iwaki during the mid-1960s, Hula Girls begins as a tale of desperation. With coal becoming less important as a source of energy, miners are losing their jobs quickly and within the small town it is suspected that 2000 workers will soon lose their jobs. However, there might be a way to save some jobs. One of the banes of the miners is a hot spring that continuously pumps water into the mines. However, the Joban Hawaiian group wants to build a resort in the town. Besides the fact that a number of residents believe that the group is crazy trying to bring Hawaii to the cold confines of Iwaki, the resort will only supply some 500 jobs. However, the idea of the resort sets of a spark within the heart of a young girl named Kimura Sanae who soon makes it her goal to be a pro hula dancer. Dragging her friend Kimiko along, played by the very talented Aoi Yu, Sanae is enraptured by the possibility of a different future. However, the conservative women of the town reject the idea. However, there is some excitement because a former professional dancer from Tokyo is coming to the bumpkin town to teach the participants how to hula, but when a drunk, disinterested Hirayama Madoka arrives there seems to be little hope getting the dancing off the ground. However, two new members join Sanae and Kimiko, a giantess named Sayuri and a housewife named Hatsuko. Will this small group become professional hula dancers? Will they win the support of their families? Who knows, but the duration of the trip to find out is certainly a fun one.

When I first heard of Hula Girls I thought it was it was going to be similar to Yaguchi Shinobu's film Swing Girls which was another film about a group of girls striving to improve themselves through a practiced skill, however Hula Girls has quite a serious edge as well. There is a surprising amount of violence in the film, however, this follows the example of the films of Sai Yoichi and Yukisada Isao listed above. These scenes jolt the viewer out of a sense that this film will just be another happy go lucky fluff film and the alternating scenes of drama and comedy builds up to a very satisfying ending. The film is well worth a look for those interested in comedic Japanese films that have more of an edge.

I haven't seen the U.S. version (with English subtitles) yet, but just watched the Japanese version again. The fact that this is a true story, and that I happen to have been to both Iwaki and Joban Hawaiian Center, makes it ring all the more authentic for me. And being from Hawaii, of course, I'm proud to know that this project (the center, not the film) actually accomplished what it set out to do.

The only thing I feel bad about for viewers who don't understand Japanese is that the Iwaki dialect is probably completely lost in translation for foreign audiences. It would be like watching "Fargo" with Japanese subtitles (and I have), where a lot of the subtlety comes as much from the local accent as from the words themselves; the Iwaki accent is easily as distinctive, and carries the same sense of rural innocence, as the exaggerated Minnesota accent employed by the Cohen brothers. Key is a scene on the bus, as the troupe is heading towards a performance. The teacher, who is from Tokyo (and resolutely so), says a few words in what is clearly an Iwaki accent, indicating both the passage of time since she arrived, and her newfound willingness to let go of her urban identity and get closer to the girls she teaches.

Unfortunately, there is just no effective way of communicating the dialect in subtitles...

Note: Japanese with English subtitles.

The '06 release `Hula Girls' which is based on an actual event is an absolutely exhilarating film that will immediately draw you into the storyline and have you rooting for the irresistible band of would-be hula girls from beginning to end. No wonder it won just about every major award in the '07 Japanese Academy Awards. I honestly cannot think of one negative thing to say about this production. It's dramatic, poignant, bittersweet and downright funny. The storyline is well conceived, the dialogue believable and the retro-Hawaiian soundtrack is in the perfect contrast to the drab landscape of the Japanese coal mining town where the new Hawaiian Center is being built.

This is a film I could watch over and over again and for me that's the bottom line in judging any film. By the way, did I forget to mention the charming and beautiful Aoi Yu in the role of Kimiko. I couldn't take my eyes off her, what an incredible smile!

There is also a second disc containing:
- The Making of Hula Girls
- How to be a Hula Girl
- Hula Girls: The Real Story
- An Interview with Jake Shimabukuro
- Original Japanese Trailers

My Highest Recommendation!!

Based on a true story, Hula Girls is a real charmer of a film. It won the equivalent of the Japanese Academy awards and it is quite a feel-good film.

The story is based on the story of a mining town in a remote prefecture of Japan. The mine is closing, leaving the workers without any employment. The mine engages in a really dicey venture, to open a hot spring with a Hawaiian theme. Seems the mine is constantly filling up with hot water from a local hot spring, so the idea is to use the water to fill the spa and forget about mining coal. Coal was being replaced by (cheap) oil. Times were changing.

The town brings in Ms. Hirayama as professional hula teacher, a gal with a shady past. She is none too thrilled to be teaching the local coalminers' daughters. She shows up stinkin' drunk, not a good omen, and soon her gangster nemesis follows, chasing her for her mother's presumed gambling debts. But somehow, she connects with Sanae and Kimiko, and eventually more girls show up to become professional dancers.

The rest of the film is about the development of the spa and the resistance of the old-timers to the changes. This could be filmed anywhere, Poland, West Virginia. But there is a happy ending despite the changing times.

The film director wisely chose to let the dancing speak for itself at the end and we are treated to most of the Hula show, which is a real treat. Many directors would have just had a cut or two, but we get most of the show at the end, which was a delight. Everyone cries, and maybe you will too. This is a delightful film.

The music (Jake Shimabukuro) is fantastic and as much a character of the film as the actors. There are extras about the film, the real town, and the real people as well as the Japanese trailers. The subtitles get the feel of the rural Japanese dialect and the rough language of the miners.

Excellent film, highly recommended.

Yes, this is truly a fine, feel-good movie. However, I haven't read any mention by other reviewers of the absolutely incredible dancing performed by the actresses. As a former professional Polynesian dancer myself, I have danced in and seen many, many Polynesian dance reviews and have Never seen anything that tops the perfection shown by these actresses. More amazing is the fact that they only had around 9 months to learn all the necessary dance skills and routines, which they performed so flawlessly.

"Hula Girls" surprised me. I expected a feel good movie that I could play for the younger, less cynical members of my extended family during the holidays. Instead I found myself enjoying the film far more than I expected I would.

The plot is relatively simple and one that is both familiar and predictable. It is 1965 and a cold, dreary, Japanese coal mining community is in trouble. The coal mine is no longer profitable and mass layoffs are in the cards. The mining company, in what appears to be a far fetched plan, decides to use the geothermal hot springs (that have plagued the mines for decades) as the centerpiece of a Hawaii-style resort community. In other words, the town will be converted to a Disney-like sort of Hawaii, complete with Hula Girls.

The Hula Girls are to be recruited and trained from the community and the recruiting and training of the local girls forms the heart of the movie. There is resistance from the community. Some parents don't like the idea of their girls wearing grass skirts and shaking their hips. Many just think the whole plan diverts attention from the plight of the miners. Based on a true story, we follow the lives of the recruits, of the townsfolk, and of the somewhat troubled big-city professional dancer brought up from Tokyo to teach the girls how to Hula.

On the surface this sounds pretty hokey and contrived, yet another artificially touching "feel-good cinema story of the year" plot. However, good acting, cinematography, and writing takes this movie beyond its clichéd plot and the result is a feel-good movie that, well, made me feel good. The two leads, the dance teacher Miss Hirayama and the star pupil Kimiko (played by Yasuko Matsuyuki and Yu Aoi) are believable characters and the development of their relationship is very well done. You really do want them to succeed against all odds.
The special features, including the real story of the Hula Girls and interviews with the real characters at the heart of the story are a welcome addition to the cast.

There are two slight downsides to this movie for me.

Despite the good performances the very concept of the movie makes it difficult for the story to develop any tension as the plot plays itself out. We know going in that things are likely to end up in a certain way and, for the most part, the viewer won't be disappointed

Second, I think one age group most likely to be absorbed and entertained by this movie are pre-teens. However, Hula Girls is in subtitles (and I prefer subtitles to dubbing) and I'm not sure that a younger audience would be able to track the subtitles in pace with the movie. A lot depends on the child's reading speed of course. This may be one DVD where a dubbed option would really benefit the enjoyment of a younger audience.

All in all, the acting and film work in Hula Girls outweighs the pretty formulaic story line and this makes for a pretty enjoyable family viewing experience. Well worth a look.
L. Fleisig

and it doesn't get any more formulaic than this, either. You know exactly what happens next -- every twist and turn of it. There are hardly any surprises in this movie, but believe me, that's not a bad thing.

This movie, the official entry from Japan for the 2007 Academy Awards' Best Foreign Film category (it didn't make the final cut), is a beautiful tearjerker. It is unapologetic about it, and it does not pretend to be anything else. You will shed tears alright, but they're of the cathartic kind. The stuff that truly and thoroughly makes you feel good. You know exactly what happens in the end, too, but the finale will NOT disappoint you, either.

Tearjerkers don't get any better than this one. After a year of such dark, depressing movies as No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, and Atonement, to mention a few, it is wonderfully refreshing to laugh and cry and feel good about all that at the end. I think my mind needed a "reset," and I sure got it with this movie.

My wife--who is from Japan--has been bugging me for months that I find this movie on DVD so we can watch it. What great luck that this became available on Amazon. I really thought I would have to find this in the Japanese video shop and nowhere else. I mean, let's be honest, this movie has none of the typical elements we see in the American film market; no lawyers, cops, aliens, soldiers, explosions, guns, high technology or sex; it does not depict rich and/or hip people; but it's told so well, so nicely focused, that most Americans should not only be able to connect with the story and characters but really find themselves there.

Perhaps you've even been where they've been and felt what they felt in the film, scared your company is going to downsize you out of not only a job but a career, or maybe even that your entire town is so tied up in one industry that if that goes then the town is finished. The characters in this story are confronting exactly that type of formidable and inevitable change.

This is a true story. This actually happened. In fact the resort is still there in the 'great white north' of rural Fukushima, Japan--an area so rural that it's known only for the Hawaiian resort and it's great camping spots. And because it's a great, true story, I recommend you don't skip watching the bonus material on the second disc.

I absolutely love this film, more than my wife did I think, and must admit it's only one of maybe four films I've ever seen that caused me to cry of the thousands of films I have seen.

Simply wonderful storytelling. It gets my highest recommendation.