Hula Girls

Winner of Japan's Oscar equivalent for Best Picture, director Lee Sang-Il's charming Hula Girls plays like a cross between The Full Monty (minus the monty) and October Sky. Based on a true story, the film revolves around a handful of young women in a Japanese mining town during the 1950s, eager to take a chance at becoming professional hula dancers for a local Hawaii-themed tourist attraction—despite the objections of their families (hula dancing is not a respectable trade). Sweet humor characterizes the girls' determined attempt to reach for their dream—under the supervision of a tough-talking, hard-drinking professional teacher from Tokyo named Madoka Hirayama (Yasuko Matsuyuki)—although tragedy inevitably strikes, threatening to destroy all they've accomplished. While it may sound very familiar, the cultural differences between East and West keep some aspects of the film refreshingly novel (our Western ideas concerning the right things to do in the face of adversity are not necessarily universal). Genuinely uplifting and delightful, Hula Girls is highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras on this two-disc set include a behind-the-scenes documentary, a “making-of” featurette, another featurette on the “real story,” a brief interview with composer/ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, and more. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning film.] (M. Johanson)