Hula Girls

2006

1h 50m

Comedy

List

56%

Tomatometer

18 Reviews

83%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Desperate to reverse their economic fortunes, the elders of a small Japanese coal-mining town decide to create a Hawaiian center tourist attraction. They hire Madoka (Yasuko Matsuyuki), a professional dancer from Tokyo, to recruit and train hula dancers. The group includes hulking Sayuri (Shizuyo Yamasaki) and the hesitant Kimiko (Yû Aoi). Things seem hopeless at first, but with encouragement from Kimiko's brother, Yojiro (Etsushi Toyokawa), Madoka redoubles her efforts to make things work.

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Cliff Doerksen

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Stephen Garrett

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Jeff Shannon

Seattle Times

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

Rated: 3/4

Sep 21, 2007

Full Review

Francesca Rudkin

New Zealand Herald

Lee has created a film that is endearing, heartfelt and at times very funny.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 4, 2011

Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics

Urban Cinefile

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

Apr 11, 2008

Full Review

Don Willmott

Filmcritic.com

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

Rated: 2.5/5

Nov 18, 2007

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Audience Member

A very likable film with a Japanese formula for melodrama.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Familiar, family friendly story of eccentric and female self-exteem regain. Nothing new, but nothing wromg either (my concept of wrong is quite the opposite of "nice asian gals dancing Hula", shame on me).

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Simple and quite touching movie. In 1965, a small, cold coal mining town in Japan is facing the harsh reality. A big mine is closing down, with about 2000 workers been sacked. In its place a new entertainment Hawaiian Centre will open. It is to capitalize on the numerous hotspring in the town. Hula dancers are needed. Eri Tokunaga is really interested as she didn't want to be a coal miner for the rest of her life. She want her bestie Yû Aoi to go with her and keep it a secret. During the meeting with the folks, all the women in the community saw the hula dance video and shun it, feeling it is flesh parade. Except for a mother Hatsuko. Later, a tall and shy girl Shizuyo Yamasaki is recommend by her father. The teacher Yasuko Matsuyuki is been ask to teach. She arrive in a drunk state. The next day her attitude clash with Aoi. The 2 young girls skip school to practise dance. One day, they peep at Yasuko dancing and is amaze, all of them are even more determine to learn. Aoi's brother Etsushi Toyokawa pee in front of Yasuko house and she splash water at him. Aoi mother know she is skipping school to dance and drag her home. They quarrel over their rights and Aoi is chase off home. She stay at the dance school. Yasuko agree to teach them from the basic and gradually they improve and get better. After sometime, Yasuko give the 4 of them dancing shoes. Next moment, more girls join the dance group. When they first appear in the proper dance costume, they feel shy. Eri is happy to take the photo together with Aoi. Eri father receive the termination letter. She wear the costume for her younger siblings to see. The father return home angrily and especially seeing her like that, beat her up, cut her long hair and wreck the whole house. She decided to quit from the dance group as they are all moving away to another town. Aoi said she will quit as well but Eri didn't allow. She want her to succeed and say she will be happy to know she is in the same photograph as her when she become famous. It is really sad and touching when Eri bid farewell to the girls and Yasuko who gave her a sunglass. Aoi can't concentrate at night practise and Yasuko scolded her. Aoi run off and Etsushi saw her and cheer her on. He wish for her to succeed and return home in glory. Next day onwards, they are going for publicity tour. First performance is full of mistakes and some places the audiences just have no interest and ended up throwing things to and fro. The girls fight in the bus and Yasuko is so angry she gets off. They apologise and get together. She introduce cheers to the group and hula girls as their moniker. They start to gel and improve. Then there's an accident in the mine. Shizuyo father is injured. All the girls are worried and want to return home. One question Yasuko been professional means not going to see parent even if they are injured. Then Shizuyo says she is going to stay and continue to dance and know that is what her father will want. So everyone stays. When they return, her father is dead. The folks blame Yasuko for been such a cruel cold-heart woman. Though its not her fault, she takes the blame. They want her to get lost from the town. She only want the folks to note of the hula girls effort to save the town. The shipped palm trees are withering of the freeze. A worker plead for stoves to warm them but is rejected. Eri had send a parcel to Aoi. Her mum bring it to her in school and saw her dance. Later, her mother collect stoves and urge others to help the town. She has open up to the ideas of the new age. The hula girls went to the train station to stop Yasuko from leaving. Finally the Hawaiian Centre opens and the girls perform to standing ovation. Aoi wear the hair clip that Eri send to her and perform her solo. Her mother also came to watch and is so proud. In 1976, the last mine close with more people losing jobs. Continuing to future, Yasuko been 70 plus of age still teaches hula dance at the town.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The actors and actresses were great. The characters evolved and grew through-out the film and were characters you really wanted to root for and hoped to see win in the end. The movie was entertaining and easy to follow. Its kind of an overdone story line, but still great.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

Audience Member

such a lovely film. no subtitles but understood it quite well!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fun, emotional film that doesn't try to do too much. Even if it draws inspiration from a lot movies that have been made before, you can appreciate the Japanese-ness of it. The actors do a fine job, especially if they learnt to dance for real. Something that's not going to be a repeat favourite, though it is for dad, it's definitely worth giving a go.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

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Lee Sang-il

Director

Yasuko Matsuyuki

Madoka Hirayama

Etsushi Toyokawa

Yojiro Tanikawa

Yû Aoi

Kimiko Tanikawa

Shizuyo Yamasaki

Sayuri Kumano

Eri Tokunaga

Sanae Kimura

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83%

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Synopsis

Desperate to reverse their economic fortunes, the elders of a small Japanese coal-mining town decide to create a Hawaiian center tourist attraction. They hire Madoka (Yasuko Matsuyuki), a professional dancer from Tokyo, to recruit and train hula dancers. The group includes hulking Sayuri (Shizuyo Yamasaki) and the hesitant Kimiko (Yû Aoi). Things seem hopeless at first, but with encouragement from Kimiko's brother, Yojiro (Etsushi Toyokawa), Madoka redoubles her efforts to make things work.

Director: Lee Sang-il
Screenwriter: Lee Sang-il, Daisuke Habara
Production Co: Cinequanon Co., Ltd.
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (DVD): Nov 6, 2007
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital