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Hula Girls (2006)

Director: Lee Sang-Il

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Synopsis

Sort of a Japanese Dirty Dancing meets The Full Monty, this crowd-pleasing period piece—set during the Polynesian craze of the mid-’60s—has the residents of a dying coal town pinning their hopes on a new theme park and its swaying grass skirts.

Movie review

From Time Out New York

Loretta Lynn sure never imagined Japanese coal miners’ daughters hula-hooping their way out of poverty, but that’s just how a group of desperate women gave meaning to their dead-end lives in 1965. This mawkish docudrama revisits the dying industrial town of Iwaki, which counters the looming threat of a mine closing with plans for a Hawaiian-themed resort. The girls face prejudice from their families, while their amateur moves frustrate the dance instructor. Will they ever triumph? Just guess.

Author: Stephen Garrett 2007-07-10 18:42:30

Time Out New York Issue 615: July 12–18, 2007

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Cast & crew

Director: Lee Sang-Il

Cast: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yu Aoi

Rated: NR

Duration: 110 mins


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