Wôtâ bôizu

"Waterboys" is the featured film on the opening night in this year's Eiga Sai in Manila. I didn't anticipate I would be laughing my toxins out. It's a hilarious movie. I thought I'd never laugh so hard again after watching a Charlie Chaplin movie years back. This Japanese film is incredibly and enjoyably funny. It totally amazes me how the Japanese are able to evoke the whole range of emotions in their audience, i.e., laughter in comedy films, profound sadness in drama. (I still haven't gotten over the heartache from watching "Grave of the Fireflies".) "Waterboys" has a very simple plot. It would have been banal and jejune in the hands of an ordinary storyteller. The storytelling technique was effortless, but the use of slow motion matched with a perfect comedic timing produced a remarkably hilarious film. To be able to make people laugh from one's belly and in so many continuous fractions of a minute is a gift. "Waterboys" cast and crew are gifted. I've never cracked up so hard in my whole life. The adrenalin kick from watching it is yet to subside. One disadvantage: I don't know if any Hollywood comedy films can ever make me laugh again.

I really got engaged and nearly started applauding the achievments done in the end, syncronized swimming aint easy, and very womanized, so when the japanese boys does a take on this subject, it has to be embarasing and righteous fun. though its very classic manga japanese style, with uniformed pupils everywhere, it shows a lot of the cultural genderistic and traditional japanese way of life. love and sexuality are very constricted and the humbleness and bowbending respect between hi and low and boy and girl is archtypical

its for a norwegian the kind of witty and dry humour so you might have to adjust your sense of humour a bit, but it is a comedy you should see. made in 2003 the speedoes and arenas are small and extremely tight, but there are no beer bellies or hairy creatures in this movie, so it should suit you all.

the grumpy old man, nowadays to stiff and fibrmyalgic to even stretch my knees, did some of this stuff in my glory days of youth. and being able to make me laugh its a recommend.

Young lads overcome stereotypes to become proficient athletes at a sport with which they're unfamiliar, with lots of laughs along the way toward a marvelous water show finale.

Five adorable and well-meaning misfits at a Japanese high school try to organize a synchronized swimming team, but their early efforts at a routine end in disaster. They persevere, and with the help of a Dolphin Trainer from the local aquarium they eventually get it right and earn the respect of their peers.

It's a Japanese comedy about a group of male synchronised swimmers - how cool is that!?

Well, "not very", you'd be forgiven for thinking... certainly I wouldn't have been interested, if not for consistently positive low level press amongst the internet community. Thankfully, the warm response is quite justified - Waterboys takes its seemingly mundane premise (perhaps more resonant in patriarchal Japan) and turns it into a delightful little comedy.

Suzuki is the only member of the swimming team at Tadano Boy's High School... until the new swimming teacher arrives and she is an extremely "hot babe". Suddenly everybody wants to be on the swim team... until they discover that what she teaches is Synchronised Swimming. Apparently, this is considered an extremely non-manly thing to do in Japan. Only five pupils decide to stick with it anyway, for personal reasons that you will discover through the course of the movie. Everyone laughs at them, ridicules them and above all doubts them... so naturally the impetus to succeed is strong.

Waterboys is a genre movie at heart, taking the standard sports movie misfits and putting them through trials and tests to see what heights they can rise to under pressure. Nothing too surprising, but it's all dressed up quite charmingly here. Quirky characters genuinely engage your interest and affections, and the humour is brisk and mostly absurd. The script treads familiar ground without it ever seeming tired or cliched, finding new ways of exploring each situation. It's a funny movie, a very sweet movie and a highly enjoyable one.

Recommended.