29 Aug 2006

Swing Girls

Director: Shinobu Yaguchi

Language: Japanese with English subtitles

Starring: Shihori Kanjiya, Yuika Motokariya, Yukari Toyoshima, Yuta Hiraoka

Screening: 2005-03-15

In 2001, director Shinobu Yaguchi made gay men salivate with gratuitous
images of waif-like Japanese boys in teeny-weeny Speedos in Waterboys.
Now he's back with something for the girls.


The story begins when 16 girls are asked to go for Maths remedial
classes during their summer vacation. Desperately bored with figures
and equations, the girls cook up an excuse to get out of the classroom
by signing up for school brass band instead. Although most of them
can't blow or strum a note, they quickly learn to play the instruments
to form a jazz swing band.


What's interesting about the film is that the actresses actually
learnt to play the instruments themselves, so all the music you
hear is real and not dubbed over by professionals.


With enough sight gags, plot twists and character conundrums weaved
into the movie, Swing Girls is a zesty and delightful zero-to-hero
comedy, not unlike Waterboys. Though the young actresses
(unfortunately) don't reveal as much flesh as the boys did, Swing
Girls
is still thoroughly enjoyable — particularly for
the ladies.