kgh-3 Review of Shall We Dance?

Shall We Dance? (1996)

It's . . . tedious. (Or, Where's Godzilla when you need him?)

[4/10 · 19 October 1999]

If you look up the definition of "tedious" in The Cinematic Unabridged Dictionary, don't be surprised to find the movie poster for Shall We Dance as part of the entry. This Japanese offering from 1996 revolves around a point of Japanese culture, an aversion--a taboo really--to ballroom dancing. Unfortunately, it is no more interesting than watching a movie where the characters enact a plot in a culture that avoids eating mushrooms, or disdains golf. One character, a bewigged runba dancer tries to save the show by stealing it, but falls short. As this two hour (was it four?) hour production dragged on, the female lead often was seen looking longingly out a window. I hoped beyond hope that she would suddenly look horrified and shout, "Look, it's Godzilla!" No such luck.