Movielogr
Smile (2007)
Directed by Takanori Jinnai
Twitter Facebook Google+Overview
Heartwarming human drama about a former tap dancer who trades in his tap shoes to woo a figure skating instructor. But by a twist of fate, he finds himself coaching a local ice hockey team of hapless youths and leading them to a championship
Length 124 minutes
Actors
Rosa Katô | Morooka Moro | Yoshiko Tanaka | Kei Tani | Kenji Sakaguchi | Anri Okamoto | Rikiya | Jiro Sato | Hiroshi Tamaki | Natsuki Harada | Takashi Tsukamoto | Yutaka Matsushige | Naoko Iijima | Susumu Terajima | Koichi Sato | Sachie Hara | Mirai Moriyama | Yuta Tachibana
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/20/2025 | Computer | Broadcast | Other | 7.5 stars |
| (Average) 7.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Movie #8 of the Holiday Movie Mind Melter
Second Japanese movie (that’s two in a row) and probably my favorite so far. The first half is fine, kinda what you’d expect from a bunch kids on a hockey team that isn’t very good but work to be a team to get into the playoffs a la THE MIGHTY DUCKS.
But boy do things get really good in the second half. Some manipulative pulling at the heart strings but it works. I like that it doesn’t pull a punch at the end. Was hoping for a different outcome in the hockey match but yeah it all worked nicely by the end. Very enjoyable. Not sure why Mirai Moriyama is buried at the bottom of the TMDb credits given he’s the star of the movie. I may move him up to the top if I remember.
One thing that was rather amusing is that the entire film takes place as a flashback to 1987. Yet they, the filmmakers and production team, didn’t bother to match to that 1980s aesthetic or style. Fashion, clothing, hairstyles, etc. all just from the 2000s. it was cracking me up for the duration.
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