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Hula Girls (2007)
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Reviews Counted:16
Fresh:8
Rotten:8
Average Rating:5.4/10
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... [More]
Starring: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yuu Aoi, Ittoku Kishibe
Director: Sang-il Lee
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Reviews for Hula Girls
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
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 |
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 2.5/5 |
There's nothing new in this very formulaic let's-put-on-a-show drama. Full Review |
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3/4 |
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 |
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3/4 |
An eminently likeable, well-made film. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
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 |
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2/6 |
The girls face prejudice from their families, while their amateur moves frustrate the dance instructor. Will they ever triumph? Just guess. Full Review |
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B |
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 |
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2.5/4 |
U.S. audiences may find themselves impatient with the leisurely way Lee -- a Japanese director of Korean descent -- lets the tale unfold. Full Review |
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1/4 |
Director Lee Sang-il employs every possible cliché as he shamelessly tries to manipulate viewers' emotions. Full Review |
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The dance floor is soon covered with syrupy melodrama. Full Review |
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2/4 |
Slick cinematography makes this bland social comedy always watchable, but the movie has its insipid moments. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
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 |
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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 |
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It's all warm, well-shot, instantly forgettable, and familiar to a fault. Full Review |
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2.5/4 |
Steadfast tradition and encroaching progress lock horns in the surprisingly cheerful Hula Girls. Full Review |
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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 |
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