Koji Yakusho (Cure, 13 Assassins) is a middle-aged accountant experiencing the doldrums of a humdrum and exhausting routine. Though ‘happily’ married with family, he nevertheless has lost his zest for living. Intrigued by a woman in the window of a building offering dance lessons – a building he passes every night on his way home – lures him out of his comfort zone. Feeling as if he has nothing left to lose but his drudgery, he takes up ballroom dancing.
“Shohei’s journey from unhappy worker bee – the early scenes are cleverly sketched to show his mundane routine without ever themselves being boring – to rejuvenated free spirit is credible, actually earning the film’s final emotional wallop. Irresistible.” – Ian Freer, Empire
“Shall We Dance? is not about love with a tantalizing mirage, then, but about a man losing his inhibitions and breaking out of the rut of his life.” – Roger Ebert
Marc Edward Heuck discusses Shall We Dance? on the New Beverly blog.
