Hula Girls (2007)

"...like Whale Rider and Bend it Like Beckham, the film is an ideal choice for parents of teen girls hoping to broaden their daughters' horizons by introducing them to the world of foreign film.  Jen Johans, Film Intuition
"Sweet-natured, formulaic and ripe for an American remake.  Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide

Editor's Note Set in 1965 Japan, HULA GIRLS tells the story of an ordinary coal miner's daughter-turned hula dancer extraordinaire. With oil quickly replacing coal and mining towns struggling to survive, someone's idea for turning the Japanese town into a Hawaiian village seems farfetched at best. But with the courage and hula skills of one young girl, people start to wonder whether perhaps this is the answer after all.

	Etsushi Toyokawa
	Shizuyo Yamazaki
	Yasuko Matsuyuki
	Yu Aoi
	Daisuke Habara - Writer
	Hideo Yamamoto - Cinematographer
	Hitomi Ishihara - Producer
	Jake Shimabukuro - Original Music By
	Sang-il Lee - Director
	Sang-il Lee - Writer
	Tsuyoshi Imai - Editor
	Yohei Taneda - Production Designer
	Yoshiaki Hosono - Executive Producer

Variety 8 of 10
Loaded with underdog heroics and bursting with youthful enthusiasm, "Hula Girls" may be utterly predictable but it sure is a lot of fun. Fact-based tale of girls forming a hula troupe in a dying mining town in mid-'60s Japan has danced its way to beefy B.O. since opening domestically on Sept. 23, and stands a chance of shaking its skirts into foreign markets. Fests and specialty broadcasters will want to snap up this crowd-pleaser...Fourth feature by Japan-based ethnic Korean director Lee Sang-il finds him dealing with lighter subject matter, and with a much better touch, than on previous effort, hostage drama "Scrap Metal" (2005)..."Hula" is told through the eyes of Kimiko Tanikawa (Yu Aoi), a spirited teenager living in the coal mining community of Joban, in the country's chilly northeast...Although there's not a single real surprise right up to the moment when the girls make their triumphant debut, a gallery of well-drawn characters and keen observations of small-town life make the time pass pleasantly...Well-cast pic features perky perfs by young cast members and a nice role for Matsuyuki as the dancer who overcomes initial aloofness and embraces job. - Richard Kuipers