Hula gâru (2006)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sang-il Lee

Writers:

Sang-il Lee (written by) &
Daisuke Habara (written by)

Release Date:

23 September 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Young women in a small Japanese town look to revive their home's declining fortunes by building a Hawaiian village tourist attraction.

Awards:

21 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Yasuko Matsuyuki	...	Madoka Hirayama
Etsushi Toyokawa	...	Yojiro Tanikawa
Yû Aoi	...	Kimiko Tanikawa
Shizuyo Yamazaki	...	Sayuri Kumano
Shoko Ikezu
Eri Tokunaga	...	Sanae Kimura
Kojo Miyake
Susumu Terajima
Masaru Shiga
Hiroshi Ôkôchi
Daikichi Sugawara
Katsumi Takahashi
Ittoku Kishibe	...	Norio Yoshimoto
Sumiko Fuji	...	Chiyo Tanikawa (as Junko Fuji)

Also Known As:

Hula Girls (International: English title)

Runtime:

USA:108 min | Canada:108 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | Argentina:108 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp | Spain:T | Hong Kong:IIA

Company:

Black Diamonds

Trivia:

None of the actresses had any dance training prior to the film, so they trained for three months.

Movie Connections:

Followed by Hula gâru 2 (2010)

Wonderful music, wonderful Japanese comedy is great family entertainment

Make no mistake about it, this is a Japanese comedy, with few ties to Hawaii. But that doesn't take away from the fact the film is wonderfully scored, believably acted, and a fun, entertaining movie. Screened for the first time in the U.S. in October 2006 as the finale gala extravaganza at the Hawaii International Film Festival (#1 Asian festival & one of world's 10 best overall now), many hula teachers and Hawaii fans may have feared this movie might take a less- than-serious-enough view of the sacred Hawaiian dance. But, upon viewing this light-hearted comedy, critics had to sit back and appreciate just how loyal the film remained to the Japanese interpretation of hula. Japanese view hula as a dance, and Hawaii as a warm tropical paradise in much the same way American filmmakers viewed Hawaii in the 1950s. Viewers, even kumu hula and critics, shouldn't forget that this is a film about that Japanese interpretation - at that time, and not impose upon it the serious more cultural aspects a current movement in Hawaii is bringing back to the dance. In fact, the director of "Hula Garu" successfully gets away with this by making the film a comedy, and never trying to delve into the historical, religious, or other cultural dimensions of hula. While not true to today's view of hula in Hawaii, this film is not about today, or Hawaii. It's about an obscure little town in northern Japan that created a Hawaiian village concept, complete with its own hula troupe to attract tourists and save the town from extinction. Several heart warming moments in this 'To Sir With Love,' teacher-conquers- impossible-odds themed story bring tears to the spectators' eyes. And the music could hardly have been more perfect to help accentuate those emotional moments. Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro's score is perfect, and likely to win awards, and possibly even help make Jake a household name on the U.S. mainland, as it already has become in many circles in Japan. The film's screenplay successfully draws the audience into the characters in a way that forces even the most critical hula fans to forgive the film's small imperfections. The only strong disappointment I had about the film was how it confused hula and Tahitian dancing. On the other hand, that's a common misconception that all Hawaii visitors make, since hula troups almost always perform both types of dances in public. So, in a sense, the film is true to the way Japanese and tourists perceive hula, if not to hula itself. This film is not a film about Hawaii or hula dancing; but a comedy about how Japanese have adopted this wonderful dance in its own way, while respecting the Hawaiian culture in doing so. Keeping that in mind, viewers will have little to critique and everything to enjoy about this film, the acting, and the wonderful music. Overall, this is a fun, enjoyable family movie which deserves to be seen on the big screen. Don't wait to rent the video. See it in a theater and feel the energy, the music, and the strange story that began Japan's growing love for Hawaii's greatest export.