Set in rural Yamagata, Swing Girls centres around the comedic pursuits of a group of high school girls and one boy who form a jazz ensemble big band through a series of brilliantly absurd mishaps. Clearly manufactured to draw out that feel-good feeling from its audience (not necessarily a bad thing – in fact, it works perfectly here), Swing Girls offers a wonderfully light and fun time that culminates in a greatly uplifting finale.
On a swelteringly hot day (making this film coincidentally the second film I have watched today set on a boiling hot day, the other being Do The Right Thing – I know, what a double feature), a class of listless girls are stuck in remedial math under their summer school. When the school’s band leave to perform at a baseball game, the girls volunteer to deliver their lunches – only to accidentally cause mass food poisoning upon the band and render them unable to play. A lone member of the band, the cymbal/pianist, Nakamura recruits the girls to fill in under the threat of exposing their inadvertent role in the fiasco. Initially the gang are a hopeless crew, but as they reveal themselves as underdogs, they stumble through rehearsals and become increasingly enthusiastic about jazz music. Sure, the narrative feels familiar, in the motley crew of underdogs who fail frequently before triumphantly nailing their goals in the third act, but the deft style and direction from Yaguchi ensure that the adventure remains delightful and fun. And remember, predictably doesn’t necessarily equate to ‘bad’ filmmaking.
The cast are endearing, with a few quirky characters and their traits that stand out for a couple of good gags; self-centred antics, shyness, crushes, and deadpan humour feel palpable and excel through the chemistry between the cast. Notably, the actors all actually performed their own music, which I think adds a nice touch of authenticity to the film. The soundtrack is also filled with jazz classics, with perhaps the best use of ‘What a Wonderful World’ I’ve ever seen in a film. The final scene is a greatly cathartic and vibrant musical performance that bursts with energy and gives the audience that moment of triumph they have been rooting for.
The comedic ability of Yaguchi cannot be undervalued in his direction. There is a sense of an airy absurdism as the characters navigate through brilliantly contrived scenarios, including a stint at being supermarket assistants, a montage where the gang ‘find rhythm’ in everyday life, and the hilarious scene where they encounter, and kill, a wild boar while picking mushrooms. There is a slight sense of melodrama and a rom-com aspect to the story, but Yaguchi lets those subplots enter and brew quite subtly, without taking away any focus from the main plot. This decision allows the film to remain light and to not take itself too seriously – which I think works best.
Swing Girls is a film that is simply just a good time. Funny, charming and upbeat. The infectious energy from Yaguchi’s direction, the jazzy soundtrack and the cast’s performances combine to create a greatly endearing and lively comfort movie with a lot of rhythm and, therefore, a lot of heart.
MORTFILMS 