Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageFancy Dance (1990)
Director: Masayuki Suo
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Suo escaped from the purgatory of doing 'Making of...' documentaries for the appalling Juzo Itami into the relative bliss of this evident prototype for Shall We Dance? Successful punk-rock vocalist Yohei (Motoki) happens to come from a long line of Buddhist priests and is expected to serve a year as a novice monk. He reluctantly submits, shaving the half of his head which wasn't already shaved, and resigns himself to a life of asceticism and discipline in a mountain temple. But he and three fellow novices soon learn that some monks are more equal than others. The gay almoner monk secretly hoards chocolates and the disciplinarian monk likes to don a wig and hit karaoke bars. And then Yohei's girlfriend (Suzuki) shows up. The mix of belly laughs, slapstick, sex jokes and satire pushes towards a predictably serene, spiritual conclusion.Author: TR
Cast & crew
Director: Masayuki Suo
Producer: Shoji Masui
Cast: Masahiro Motoki, Honami Suzuki, Ken Osawa, Hiromasa Taguchi, Naoto Takenaka, Akira Emoto full cast
Duration: 102 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now