A successful but unhappy Japanese accountant finds the missing passion in his life when he begins to secretly take ballroom dance lessons.
Director:
Masayuki SuoWriter:
Masayuki Suo
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Title: Shall We Dance? (1996)
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55 wins & 7 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kôji Yakusho | ... | Shohei Sugiyama (as Koji Yakusho) | |
 |
Tamiyo Kusakari | ... | Mai Kishikawa |
| Naoto Takenaka | ... | Tomio Aoki | |
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Eri Watanabe | ... | Toyoko Takahashi (as Eriko Watanabe) |
|
|
Yu Tokui | ... | Tokichi Hattori |
|
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Hiromasa Taguchi | ... | Masahiro Tanaka |
|
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Reiko Kusamura | ... | Tamako Tamura (as Raiko Kusamura) |
|
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Hideko Hara | ... | Masako Sugiyama |
|
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Hiroshi Miyasaka | ... | Macho |
|
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Kunihiko Ida | ... | Teiji Kaneko |
|
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Amie Toujou | ... | Hisako Honda |
|
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Ayano Nakamura | ... | Chikage Sugiyama |
|
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Katsunari Mineno | ... | Keiri-kachô |
|
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Tomiko Ishii | ... | Haruko Haraguchi |
|
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Maki Kawamura | ... | Eiko Miyoshi |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Shohei Sugiyama has attained all that he has wanted in life. But he is still depressed and unhappy. One day, he gathers up the courage to sign up for dancing lessons. He hopes they will rid his depression and help him get his life back together. Written by Robert Krzanowski <stonedpsycho@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords:
self discovery | husband wife relationship | dance | ballroom dancing | dance contest |Taglines:
He's an overworked accountant. She's an accomplished dancer. Passion is about to find two unlikely partners.Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
JapanLanguage:
JapaneseRelease Date:
11 July 1997 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Shall We Dance? See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$88,106, 13 July 1997, Limited ReleaseGross USA:
$9,676,677, 23 January 1998Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (USA) (cut)Sound Mix:
Dolby SRColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Written by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus
Performed by The Drifters
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
A poster on the studio's wall shows a performance photograph of Australian champions Jason Gilkison and Peta Roby. See more »Quotes
Tamako Tamura: Dance is more than the steps. Feel the music and dance for sheer joy.See more »
Alternate Versions
Different prologue: In the beginning of the Japanese version, a voice-over introduces the history and meaning of ballroom dancing in European culture and explains "enjoyed by people of all ages, it is a healthy diversion". The prologue of the US release explains the reserved mannerisms of Japanese culture and that ballroom dancing is considered something like a scandalous pasttime there. See more »Soundtracks
Save the Last Dance for MeWritten by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus
Performed by The Drifters
See more »
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Watched this last night and was bowled over by the heartfelt story line, the excellent character development, and the good karmic vibe emanating from the acting and movie as a whole.
Without giving away too much of the plot, it begins with an ordinary joe who commutes to his office job every day who becomes inspired to take dance lessons. Along the way the protagonist and the assorted characters he meets in his quest to be smooth on the dance floor learn lessons about others and about themselves.
The story has a prologue about what dancing in Japan symbolizes sociologically, so it isn't exactly as simple to learn to dance in Japan as it is here in the U.S.
The film is lighthearted; you'll laugh out loud at some of the sight gags. Yet it is also dignified in a way hard to describe. All of the film's characters are taken seriously, as they are, and none are diminished because of their "imperfections."
I've been thinking about taking social dance classes with some friends. It just so happened a friend lent me the video on learning to dance. Is this synchronous or what? I think so because now I'm really geeked to give it a try.
Watch this wonderful family film (small children might not get it, but teens certainly would) and smile at the genuine caring you see shown in it time and again.
Why they would make a remake of Shall We Dance is a mystery, as it is perfect as-is.