December 08, 2001
Movie Review: Shall We Dance?
This is a Japanese movie about a married man who secretly starts taking dancing lessons to try to get closer to a pretty woman he sees from the train on his way home every day. A lot of the movie is based on the fact that Japanese society apparently doesn't feel that ballroom dancing is an appropriate activity so most people who enjoy it don't tell anyone. The movie itself is quite enjoyable, with lots of really funny scenes and some really enjoyable characters to watch. It is really nice to see some of the characters gain confidence through the dancing. It is also really interesting, though, to see how some things that seem really strange to me, like why the husband won't talk to his wife about dancing, treated so matter-of-factly. I think I just don't understand how people can be involved in serious relationships with such a poor level of communication. Oh well. The movie breaks down a little towards the end as not everything gets resolved, they don't explain why one of the characters knows so much about dancing, and the events become a little less realistic. Overall, though, the movie is pretty good and I'd definitely recommend it.
Posted by babar at December 8, 2001 02:08 PM