For over 40 years, Hawaii has been a popular tourist destination for the Japanese. Over 1.3 million visitors from Japan visit the Hawaiian Islands on any given year. The Japanese love for the Hawaiian culture is also very apparent as evidenced in their love for Hawaiian music (slack key guitar in particular) and dance (the Hula). It is said that there are over 250,600 students currently learning the Hula in various Hula "Halaus" (schools) throughout Japan. Japan born, Korean film maker Lee Sang-il's wonderfully rousing "Hula Girls" touches upon that fascination and pays tribute to the expressive and beautiful art form of the Hawaiian Hula. The film is inspired by the the real life Jouban Hawaiian Center (at present called 'Spa Resort Hawaiians') in Iwaki City, Fukushima which was developed in 1961 in an attempt to stimulate the local prefecture's economy. Similar to Peter Cattaneo's "Full Monty" as well as "Linda Linda Linda", "Swing Girls" and "Backdancers", "Hula Girls" similarly centers on a group of misfits who conquer their insecurities and problems through the learning of a particular skill or talent (here Hula Dancing). While Aoi Yui ("Gaichu", "Memories of Matsuko") is given the lion's share of the movie's best moments (her dance solo in the end is marvelous), it is TV star Matsuyuki Yasuko who is the most interesting character, as a disgraced Tokyo dance instructor hoping for a second chance at redemption. The supporting cast is also quite wonderful with Toyokawa Etsushi, Yamazaki Chizuya and Kishibe Ittoku bringing great comic moments. While there is a lot of vibrant dancing in the film, particularly in the end, I kind of hoped for more elaborate and longer choreographed sequences. The comedy aspects are fun but there are scenes where you definitely will be shedding a few heartfelt tears. At 2 hours, the movie may seem long but actually I sort of wished it had continued further. Local slack key entertainer Jake Shimabukuro's music is prominently used in the background and deservedly so as it adds to the film's enjoyment. "Hula Girls" is a great, "feel good" movie that celebrates Hula and shows that the "Aloha Spirit" (which in addition to meaning hello, goodbye or love, can also refer to resolving any problem, accomplishing any goal) can transcend cultural differences and prosper in as diverse a setting as Fukushima, Japan.
