r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 1d ago
Official Discussion Official Discussion - Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (2026)
Summary
Haru and Luis love competing in Tokyo’s ballroom dance scene, but after tragedy strikes, Haru withdraws into isolation. When friends coax her back into the studio, she develops an infatuation with the new instructor, forcing her to navigate grief, desire, and the possibility of moving forward.
Director
Josef Kubota Wladyka
Writers
Nicholas Huynh, Josef Kubota Wladyka
Cast
- Rinko Kikuchi as Haru
- Alberto Guerra as Fedir
- Alejandro Edda as Luis
- You as Hiromi
- Yoh Yoshida as Yuki
- Damián Alcázar as Jacobo
- Soji Arai as Nobuyuki
- Bob the Drag Queen as Hiroki
- Charley Flyte as Sasha
- Takaaki Fujisawa as Bachata Salaryman
- Chelsea Gonzalez as Cynthia
- Tom Harwood as Danny
- Keren Louis as Mila
- Yuka Mannami as Eri
- Derek Mio as Peter
- Cristina Rodlo
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Metacritic: 77
VOD / Release
September 25, 2026 (Theatrical)
Trailer
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u/MonthObjective4735 1d ago
the opening scene with haru and luis practicing at that empty studio at dawn really set the tone for me. rinko kikuchi does so much with just small glances, you can feel the grief weighing on her without a word.
did anyone else think the third act got a little lost though? the love triangle stuff with the instructor felt rushed compared to how carefully they handled the earlier parts.
2
u/KingOfAwesometonia 1d ago
Oh yeah it peaks at "Be my Baby" scene with a smooth downslope into the stage play of Dirty Dancing and then rushes into the landing with the usual kind of romcom crime. But the very end is good and really enjoyed it overall
13
u/twavisdegwet 1d ago
I like how no one in this movie is a "bad guy". Very unique polyamorous storyline that I think did a great job of not fully making a stance on if it's "wrong" or not.
In fact no one is ever really "wrong" in this movie in a fun way. I can sympathize with every single character in a way that's pretty unique.
All that jazz is a very clear influence down to the posters on the wall and I guess punch drunk love is just a good movie!
8/10 - really enjoyed this one.
7
u/holymojo96 1d ago
Probably my second favorite film about Japanese competitive ballroom dancing and having an affair with your dance instructor. As far as I know there are only two but how great that it happened twice. What a fantastic film, so full of sadness and joy and authentic humanity.
This was a wonderfully quirky exploration of grief and the challenges of moving on, presented with a delightful love of dance and music for what is clearly a very personal story. It was thinking it was going perhaps 20 minutes too long but I did love the final scene.
Rinko Kikuchi is so magnetic in a really beautiful and nuanced performance. I found myself incredibly invested in her character’s well-being. I also thought this film did a great job at succinctly capturing how powerful the bond shared in a happy marriage can be and how hard it would be to move past it. The opening scene kicks it all off so well.
2
u/2mock2turtle 1d ago
I'm guessing the first one was 10 Dance?
Anyway I wish this was playing near me.
5
u/orodoro 1d ago
Or Shall We Dance? (1996). When I saw the trailer, I thought it's a reboot. But sounds like it's not quite the same story.
2
u/holymojo96 1d ago
Yup I was thinking of Shall We Dance! It’s really hardly similar at all outside of superficial similarities, both great though!
0
u/CiriOh 1d ago
But Shall We Dance? had no affair between main character and dance instructor, film strongly implying, that he love his wife and daughter. Sometimes he just dancing alone.
1
u/holymojo96 1d ago
In both cases I’d actually describe them as emotional affairs more than anything
1
u/sean_psc 19h ago
Hey, this isn't "New in Theatres" at all, I saw it weeks ago!
The basic plot about overcoming grief is not exactly groundbreaking, but the details are well-executed, and there are aspects that definitely feel unconventional. Most notably, I think a lot of films would have made the dance instructor actually cheating on his wife or otherwise portray him and his wife negatively. But they're actually just people in a functional open relationship.
There's a bit toward the beginning focusing on Haru's nephew who arrives alongside her sister, where the two of them have a back-and-forth about language, etc. This stood out to me because this intro makes it seem like the nephew is going to be a consequential character, which he is not (he might have one or two more lines in the entire film), so I wonder if this wasn't a bit of an aside with Kubota Wladyka representing some aspect of his own experience.
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. 1d ago
Josef Kubota Wladyka, the writer-director of Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!, joined us here in /r/movies a few weeks ago for an AMA/Q&A, for anyone interested:
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1wqph7j/hi_rmovies_im_josef_kubota_wladyka_director_of/