Summary
It’s a crazy blend of musical, road trip and social satire with a light (but effective) touch. Ayaka Miyoshi is wonderful in the lead.
Even for those of us who love musicals, there’s always a chance that foreign language lyrics will find a way of getting lost in translation. So, there was every possibility that director Shinobu Yaguchi’s DANCE WITH ME (ダンスウィズミー), a sharp left turn from Survival Family, could have been a baffling ordeal. Instead, there’s a ball to be had with this delightful comedy.
Shizuka Suzuki (Ayaka Miyoshi) works for a large company in which Murakami-san (Takahiro Miura) is adored by all the administrative staff. After a chance encounter with a hypnotist (the legendary Akira Takarada), she becomes compelled to dance whenever she hears music. Set off by even the slightest of tunes, including ringtones and jingles, she teams up with the hypnotist’s jilted sidekick Chie Saito (Yu Yashiro) to track him down and lift the curse.
There’s a familiar vibe to the set-up, following the likes of Pleasantville or “Once More with Feeling” (from TV’s Buffy the Vampire). Filled with elaborately choreographed dance sequences, the twist is that while we see the fanfare, all the in-world characters see a crazy lady creating chaos. This results in some fun sight gags of trashed restaurants and baffled members of the public.
So, what we really end up with is a more light-hearted (and way cleaner) version of a Todd Phillips road movie. At its silliest, there’s a dance-off between some rival street gangs. At its most charming, Shizuka, Chie, and a slightly unhinged busker (the singularly named Chay) travel across the country busking in a delightful musical montage.
Selling this episodic high concept is a ridiculously good cast. Inuyashiki‘s Ayaka Miyoshi is wonderful, enthusiastically serving rubber-banded comedy expressions alongside some solid dance moves. Yuu Yashiro is like Japanese version of peak Melissa McCarthy, exuding a low-brow physicality to her performances with a knowing sense of the absurd.
Supporting players are also excellent. Takarada, of course, is best known for his appearances in the Godzilla franchise – from the 1954 original to a deleted scene in the 2014 remake – but here plays a cheeky former celebrity who seems to have a perpetual twinkle in his eye. Model-singer Chay is a scene-stealer in her debut performance, combining her musical talent with Ken Jeong’s ability to leap from a car trunk.
It probably comes as no surprise that DANCE WITH ME builds to a musical finale involving the entire cast, and by this stage it’s a joy to watch them clearly having a great time. While you may feel as though you know exactly where this is going, it doesn’t stop the journey from being something you can tap your toes to. It seems that dance truly is an international language.
2019 | Japan | DIR: Shinobu Yaguchi| WRITERS: Shinobu Yaguchi | CAST: Ayaka Miyoshi, Yu Yashiro, Chay, Takahiro Miura, Murotsuyoshi and Akira Takarada | DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros. (JPN), Japanese Film Festival 2019 (AUS) | RUNNING TIME: 103 minutes | RELEASE DATE: October – December 2019 (JFF)
