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Movies / On DVD / Hula Girls
Hula Girls

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Hula Girls (2007)

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Reviews Counted:16

Fresh:8

Rotten:8

Average Rating:5.4/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Jul 13, 2007 Limited

Synopsis: It is 1965 and in Japan, the country has started to shift from coal to oil. One by one the old mining towns begin their long slow decline. But for one small town way up north, its leaders and... It is 1965 and in Japan, the country has started to shift from coal to oil. One by one the old mining towns begin their long slow decline. But for one small town way up north, its leaders and mining company officials have come up with an idea to develop Japan's first Hawaiian Village. And what's a Hawaiian Village without a troupe of Hula dancers? The only problem is, no one knows how to do the dance, or even knows what the Hula is! In this hilariously touching comedy, the skepticism and conservatism of the locals is gradually overcome as their daughters fall under the spell of one talented and determined dance instructor from the big city of Tokyo. Based on a true story, HULA GIRLS is a heartwarming comedy about coal miners’ daughters who took a once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape their monotonous lives, only to become unwitting heroes to their depressed mining town as well as the whole of Japan. --© Fortissimo Films [More]

Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yuu Aoi, Ittoku Kishibe

Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yuu Aoi, Ittoku Kishibe

Director: Sang-il Lee

Director: Sang-il Lee
Producer: Hitomi Ishihara
Screenwriter: Sang-il Lee
Composer: Jake Shimabukuro

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Release:

Nov 6, 2007

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Hula Girls

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1 - 16 (sorted by critic A-Z)
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While he's coasting through on his story, [Lee] concentrates on giving his movie a great big heart. Either that, or this tired old tale simply sounds better in Japanese.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/30/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

The girls face prejudice from their families, while their amateur moves frustrate the dance instructor. Will they ever triumph? Just guess.

Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
Stephen Garrett
Stephen Garrett
Time Out New York

An eminently likeable, well-made film.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
09/08/07
Janos Gereben
Janos Gereben
Entertainment Insiders

It's all warm, well-shot, instantly forgettable, and familiar to a fault.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
07/10/07
Aaron Hillis
Aaron Hillis
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Steadfast tradition and encroaching progress lock horns in the surprisingly cheerful Hula Girls.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
06/27/07
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Slant Magazine

The dance floor is soon covered with syrupy melodrama.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
07/13/07
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Loaded with underdog heroics and bursting with youthful enthusiasm, Hula Girls may be utterly predictable but it sure is a lot of fun.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/17/06
Richard Kuipers
Richard Kuipers
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Where the filmmakers fall flat, aside from undistinguished direction and truly poor lighting and cinematography, is in making the characters such cardboard ciphers.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
07/13/07
Frank Lovece
Frank Lovece
Film Journal International

U.S. audiences may find themselves impatient with the leisurely way Lee -- a Japanese director of Korean descent -- lets the tale unfold.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/13/07
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

While the outline of the film's plot is fairly standard and predictable, director Lee Sang-il and his co-screenwriter Daisuke Habara have concocted enough obstacles ... to keep the audience's interest. When the film reaches its climax ... it arrives there

Full Review Source: Murphy's Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/14/07
Ted Murphy
Ted Murphy
Murphy's Movie Reviews

Director Lee Sang-il employs every possible cliché as he shamelessly tries to manipulate viewers' emotions.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
07/13/07
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Hula Girls is the latest entry in a durable subgenre about marginalized eccentrics who learn a new skill and become better, stronger people.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
07/13/07
Matt Zoller Seitz
Matt Zoller Seitz
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An irresistible Japanese import, Hula Girls is a crowd-pleaser so comfortable with its own clichés that it goes down smoother than a mai tai on Maui.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/21/07
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

Slick cinematography makes this bland social comedy always watchable, but the movie has its insipid moments.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
07/13/07
Bill Stamets
Bill Stamets
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This bitter sweet dramedy sits alongside films such as The Full Monty as it follows a group of coalminers' daughters turning into hula girls.

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
04/11/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

There's nothing new in this very formulaic let's-put-on-a-show drama.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/18/07
Don Willmott
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com
 
 
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