Shall We Dance?
Seen it?1996 | 136 min | Music, Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sunday Safe Betearly ratingWhy it’s a Sunday Safe Bet
It earned strong reviews (91% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had little lasting buzz. A safe bet when you want something reliable.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for romantics and anyone who wants a laugh. Critics rate it higher than audiences do, so it rewards patience more than it chases thrills.
- The mood
- Funny with heart, romantic.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 2 hr 16 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- It's in Japanese, so expect subtitles (or a dub).
- Audiences were cooler on it than critics.
A bored accountant spots a beautiful woman in the window of a ballroom dance studio. He secretly starts taking dancing lessons to be near her, and then over time discovers how much he loves dancing. His wife, meanwhile, has hired a private detective to find out why he has started coming home late smelling of perfume.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsStrong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 66 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
7.5 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Box office & staying powerSolid
$43 million worldwide; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 50K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by Masayuki Suō
- Koji YakushoShohei Sugiyama
- Tamiyo KusakariMai Kishikawa
- Naoto TakenakaTomio Aoki
- Eri WatanabeToyoko Takahashi
- Akira EmotoDetective Miwa
- Yuu TokuiTokichi Hattori
- Hiromasa TaguchiMasahiro Tanaka
- Reiko KusamuraTamako Tamura
- Hideko HaraMasako Sugiyama
- Hiroshi MiyasakaMacho