Compare Best of the Best vs Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!

Several reviewers see it as an easy comfort rewatch, helped by the friendship, music, dance routines, and upbeat spirit.

One critic worried the film’s pleasures may fade quickly despite its immediate crowd-pleasing impact, leaving long-term staying power uncertain.

Most reviewers find the movie funny, joyous, and easy to watch. Lower scores come from critics who feel the derivative story or slower second half drains too much energy.

Most responses find it charming, funny, lively, and crowd-pleasing, with dance and visual invention carrying the experience even for critics who question the story.

Predictability is the most consistent story complaint, with several reviewers saying the film follows familiar college and dance-movie beats almost exactly.

The film repeatedly swerves away from the safest crowd-pleaser template, though some later turns rely on predictable deception and contrivance.

The story is generally easy to follow and its many threads come together cleanly, even when the structure is simple.

The central emotional path is understandable, but unanswered practical details and Haru’s abrupt choices sometimes make motivations or connective logic feel thin.

The friendship-centered story is widely seen as warm, relatable, and effective even when simple. The biggest weakness is that several reviewers find the formula too familiar or the later conflict too simplified.

The grief-and-recovery core is affecting, but reactions split over whether the increasingly busy plot enriches Haru’s journey or scatters its impact.

The central friendship conflict often lands emotionally, but one review finds the second-half escalation repetitive and lower-energy.

The grief drama has genuine feeling, but some dramatic beats do not fully click when broad comedy and increasingly chaotic plotting take over.

The movie is praised for keeping its satire, emotion, songs, and coming-of-age comedy cohesive rather than letting the music-heavy format overwhelm the story.

This is the largest fault line: many admire the nimble mix of grief, comedy, romance, and fantasy, while others find the shifts jarring enough to weaken the emotional payoff.

Maya and Anjali are generally viewed as rounded, relatable leads with believable inner conflicts. Several critics say the supporting characters and male arcs are thinner or less reflective.

Haru is sympathetic and vivid, but several critics found her arc underwritten or abruptly pushed into behavior that feels less nuanced than the early character work.

Pacing ranges from top-notch and rhythmically satisfying to noticeably slower once repeated friendship conflict dominates the second half.

The movie can move with a lively cadence, but recurring chapter cards and an overlong feel are recurring drag points for some critics.

The dialogue draws both praise and criticism: one review finds it natural and current without trying too hard, while another says English-language exchanges can feel noticeably removed from real speech.

The multilingual exchanges in Japanese, Spanish, and English efficiently establish intimacy and a lived-in cross-cultural relationship.

Editing gets sharply split reactions. Some praise clean, generous cutting, while another critic says frequent cuts prevent viewers from fully appreciating the choreography.

The opening competition is singled out as dazzlingly assembled, using its cutting to heighten the rush of dance before the sudden tragedy.

The perspective and cultural detail often feel fresh, but the underlying dance-movie structure is very familiar. Some critics celebrate the new angle; others call the story outright derivative.

Its combination of ballroom dance, magical realism, grief, sexuality, and cross-cultural comedy is widely seen as distinctive, even when some individual ideas feel familiar.

The friendship story frequently lands with real feeling, from painful arguments to a finale that several reviewers found genuinely moving or uplifting.

At its best, the film turns grief, desire, and recovery into something moving and deeply human; at its weakest, whimsical excess can blunt the intended catharsis.

The near-two-hour length divides critics: some are entertained enough to want even more, while another says the second-half conflict noticeably bloats the runtime.

The roughly two-hour experience feels breezy to some, but multiple critics thought the story could benefit from trimming.

The film gets strong marks for friendship, identity, and sisterhood, but one critic argues that deeper cultural pressures on South Asian women are raised without being fully explored.

Grief, renewal, desire, and cultural identity can feel thoughtful and mature, but detractors find some themes simplified or flattened by the film’s whimsical approach.

Reviewers respond well to its messages about friendship, self-definition, living fully in the present, and choosing a life on your own terms.

The film’s life-affirming idea—that grief and joy can coexist and movement can help a person rejoin life—generally lands warmly without becoming purely sentimental.

Dance-movie fans are the core audience: many reviewers see it as a welcome, highly enjoyable throwback, while a few feel its familiar formula keeps it from becoming memorable.

The unusual comedy-drama-musical blend can be a cross-cultural delight when its modes click together.

A reviewer notes some mention of sex but still considers the movie a comfortable family watch, indicating approval of the relatively restrained level.

The frank treatment of desire, hookups, and non-monogamy is often viewed as mature and unusually nonjudgmental rather than merely provocative.

The romance is secondary to the friendship. Some reviewers find the love interests useful to the leads’ growth, while others reject one pairing as formulaic or unappealing.

The attraction and tenderness can be persuasive, but the Fedir storyline is less satisfying when jealousy, lies, and familiar romantic complications take over.

Most reactions to the ending are positive, especially the final dance and reconciliation, though a few critics find the climax abrupt or the resolution too convenient.

The hopeful final movement lands beautifully for several critics, but others find the climax predictable or a key romantic plot resolution abrupt and underwhelming.

The comedy is a major strength for most reviewers, with quick banter and culturally specific jokes landing often. A smaller number note that some jokes fall flat.

The film’s bawdy banter, awkward decisions, and surreal gags often work very well, though a few critics feel the comedy sometimes weakens the grief or falls flat.

Choreography is the clearest consensus strength: reviewers call the routines electric, inventive, culturally varied, and exciting enough to carry even the most familiar story beats.

The fantasy dances and street-fight number are frequent highlights for their energy and storytelling, though a minority found some dancing technically loose or visually underwhelming.

The screenplay earns frequent praise for structure, wit, cultural specificity, and ensemble balance, but critics also point to contrivances, thin supporting characters, and derivative plotting.

The script can be economical, sensitive, and modern, especially in early character work, but contrivances and underdeveloped supporting relationships keep it from fully cohering.

The photography is praised for warm campus imagery and colorful staging that gives the dance numbers visual lift.

Bright colors, elegant compositions, sweeping movement, and wide dance framing earn frequent praise, though one critic felt the camera sometimes falls out of step with the choreography.

Lena Khan is repeatedly praised for energetic, clear direction that lets performers and dance routines breathe while keeping the tone buoyant.

Wladyka earns substantial praise for bold visual ideas, emotional warmth, and confident dance staging, even as some critics fault his handling of the film’s competing tones.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia are consistently praised for making Maya and Anjali feel like longtime friends, with natural banter, warmth, irritation, and emotional history.

Haru’s connections with Luis and Fedir carry convincing warmth and attraction, with the central performers selling both intimacy and romantic tension.

Most reviewers celebrate the specific South Asian-American setting, dance traditions, and female friendship at the center. A minority argue that parts of the writing feel out of touch or would benefit from deeper female authorship.

The Japanese, Mexican, and broader Latin influences are woven together with unusual specificity and warmth; the multicultural setting is repeatedly treated as one of the film’s richest strengths.

Costumes are singled out as part of the film’s vibrant identity, helping both the campus world and performance sequences feel distinctive.

The spangly ballroom looks, vivid wardrobe, and culturally inflected party attire contribute strongly to the film’s playful, expressive visual identity.

The best dance set pieces and cinematography are described as colorful, theatrical, and visually striking, though one reviewer says the overall direct-to-streaming look can feel cheap outside the showcase numbers.

Bold color, magical-realist imagery, playful chapter graphics, and expressive fantasy sequences give the film a confident personality, even when some flourishes are judged excessive.

The UCLA setting is praised for feeling like a real social ecosystem rather than a generic campus backdrop.

Haru’s cozy, record-filled home and the broader colorful design create an inviting world that several critics wanted to step inside.

The campus and South Asian dance community feel specific and lived-in, with tradition and experimentation presented as parts of the same evolving culture.

The early portrait of contemporary Tokyo, ballroom culture, multilingual relationships, and home life creates a vivid social world that carries through the film.

The soundtrack is repeatedly praised for strong needle drops, varied Indian music, and crowd-pleasing songs that add momentum to the dance sequences.

The blend of Japanese, Latin, and Western pop—and playful familiar-song arrangements—adds energy, cultural texture, and several memorable musical moments.

The ensemble is generally seen as lively and memorable, with several comic standouts. One negative review says many supporting players fade into the background because they are underdeveloped.

The supporting ensemble is frequently lively and appealing, with especially strong comic notices for YOU and warm praise for the actors around Kikuchi, though one critic found them comparatively thin.

The cast is widely praised for lively, committed work, especially in the dance-heavy material. The main dissent says some exchanges can feel less natural than intended.

The ensemble is generally a strength, with the cast keeping the film lively and emotionally accessible even when the material turns messy.

The two leads are one of the strongest points of agreement, with Priyanka Kedia and Maitreyi Ramakrishnan repeatedly praised for charisma, energy, and emotional credibility.

Rinko Kikuchi is the clearest consensus strength, praised for quiet charisma, comic precision, emotional range, and the ability to ground the film’s wildest turns.

One critic says the movie is less of the raucous comedy promised by its synopsis, especially once the more dramatic second half takes over.

One viewer found the movie substantially more somber than its trailer suggested, making the promotional tone feel somewhat misleading.

The cultural specificity is repeatedly described as a strength rather than a barrier, with reviewers expecting the film to connect beyond South Asian audiences and especially with younger dance fans.

Its warm, crowd-pleasing energy makes it easy to recommend for viewers receptive to eccentric dance dramedies, though its quirks will not suit everyone.

The standout street confrontation turns punches into dance with flair, making the film’s most action-driven set piece feel inventive and exuberant.

The film is described as wholesome and, despite a small amount of mature reference, suitable for a family movie night.

Haru’s sister-and-cousin support system brings warmth, comedy, and relaxed chemistry, although one critic wanted the sister relationship developed more fully.

Bold makeup is part of the film’s vibrant, characterful presentation and works in concert with the costumes and production design.

Kikuchi often makes Haru’s grief and messy behavior feel believable, but some late choices and surreal turns strain recognizable psychology for certain critics.

The recurring friendship theme is designed to connect emotional scenes and, according to the composer, gives the score cohesion without competing with the many songs.

One reviewer calls it a fun family watch and sees little in the content that should worry families.