--- title: "Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/ha-chan-shake-your-booty/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/ha-chan-shake-your-booty" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 10 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty! (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 10 reviews: 7 positive, 3 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics respond warmly to the film’s playful treatment of grief and renewal, with seven positive reviews and three mixed. Praise centres on Rinko Kikuchi, whose funny, emotionally grounded performance gives the whimsy a human basis. The dance sequences are another point of agreement: the reviews repeatedly welcome their energy and expressive use of fantasy. Even the more reserved critics find charm and pleasure in the film’s willingness to be odd. The disagreement concerns how well that oddness serves the story. Some reviews find the tonal shifts graceful; others say the increasingly wacky turns interrupt the emotion or make the darker passages feel punitive. Slant Magazine points to superficial characterisation, while Eye for Film finds that the episodic structure weakens the emotional payoff. Collider is considerably more enthusiastic, valuing the earnestness and simplicity that other reviews find less satisfying. The spread runs from qualified enjoyment to firm affection, with no outright rejection. ## The Hollywood Reporter — Caryn James Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Festival review. The critic calls the film a small delight and an unexpected charmer, with an optimistic story of grief and renewal. She praises Rinko Kikuchi’s affecting, funny performance and the graceful shifts into surreal fantasy. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-rinko-kikuchi-1236477774/) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland Rating B. 22 January 2026. Festival review. Erbland finds the film’s whimsical approach to grief mostly successful, though increasingly wacky plot turns sometimes disrupt its emotional flow. She praises Rinko Kikuchi’s performance and the film’s effervescent spirit, especially its fantastical dance sequences. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-1235173742/) ## Screen Daily — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Festival review. The review presents the film as charming and playful. It singles out Rinko Kikuchi as a spark in the ballroom dance drama. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-rinko-kikuchi-sparks-in-playful-ballroom-dance-drama/5212871.article) ## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima Rating 2.5/4. 19 September 2026. The review finds the film charming but held back by superficial characterizations. It praises Kikuchi Rinko’s emotionally grounded performance amid the film’s playful surrealism. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review/) ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 31 January 2026. Festival review. Chang finds the comedy uneven but enjoyable, with its shifts into darker territory sometimes feeling unnecessarily punitive. He praises Kikuchi’s freewheeling performance and Wladyka’s loopy, expressive dance sequences. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/one-last-sundance-in-park-city) ## Collider — Taylor Gates Rating 9/10. 3 February 2026. Festival review. Gates calls it a charming, near-perfect surreal rom-com whose earnestness and simplicity make it special. She especially praises Rinko Kikuchi’s emotionally wide-ranging performance and the film’s energetic dance numbers. [Read the review](https://collider.com/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-musical-rom-com-sundance/) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2026. Festival review. The headline presents the film as an engaging crowd-pleaser. It singles out Rinko Kikuchi’s captivating performance and the film’s playful take on the formula. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-rinko-kikuchi-captivates-in-a-ballroom-crowd-pleaser-that-fantastically-embraces-flips-the-formula-sundance-20260122/) ## Deadline — Glenn Garner Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film a heartfelt, whimsical exploration of grief and renewed connection. Rinko Kikuchi’s emotionally expressive performance and dancing are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/01/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review-1236690960/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 January 2026. The critic finds the film quirky but emotionally grounded, with its tonal control keeping it on beat. Rinko Kikuchi’s singular, expressive presence is singled out for balancing the whimsy with Haru’s complicated emotions. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-review/) ## Eye for Film — Jeremy Mathews Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2026. Mathews finds the film an uneven but ultimately joyful exploration of grief and moving forward. He praises Rinko Kikuchi’s performance and the film’s dance sequences, while noting that its episodic structure weakens the emotional payoff. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/ha-chan-shake-your-booty-2026-film-review-by-jeremy-mathews) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/ha-chan-shake-your-booty.md