Merolliv I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Kodie Bird True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Juggertrout Waterboys is a zany, sweet comedy about a group of boys who get roped into starting a synchronised swimming team, and then have to get together a routine for an exhibition in a few weeks time! It's fun stuff that aims low and hits hard. There are lots of great sight gags and other slapstick comedy, but there's also an interesting love story and fantastic acting from the boys.The film rolls along at a great pace, with Yaguchi a talented director treating us to lengthy tracking shots and other technical flourishes. The film never bores and always pleases, and as we head towards the climax, the comedy keeps coming, and the final 'routine' will delight you with its genius. A fun, endlessly rewatchable madcap comedy.

DICK STEEL I had enjoyed Japanese writer-director Shinobu Yaguchi's Swing Girls back in 2004, in a story of how a group of schoolgirls mobilized to form a big band jazz group, trained and finally perform in competition. It had a simple story made great by the excellent cast in endearing characters, as well as awesome jazz music to go along. In my attempt to revisit some of his earlier works, it had led me back to the Waterboys.Waterboys almost follows the same formula, where a group of misfits get together, and against all odds and everyone's pessimism, manage to pull through and put up one heck of a performance. Along the way, they encounter seemingly implausible obstacles which stand to derail their plans and hopes, and sometimes watching them come through in comedic ways just puts a smile on you. It's one of those feel good movies without any real villains to snarl at, just being there to cheer them on as they try to give one of the best performances of their mundane lives.A youthful looking Satoshi Tsumabuki (starred in this year's Nada Sou Sou) plays Suzuki, the only member of his school's swim team, who gets more members than he bargained for when a beautiful teacher, Mrs Sakuma (Kaori Manabe) becomes the swim coach of the all- boys school. But after a comedy of errors, we're left with 5 nerdy boys who must rough it out to be synchronized swimmers instead, bringing guffaws from their schoolmates and folks in their neighbourhood.Not wanting to give up, they enlist the reluctant help of a dolphin trainer (Naoto Takenaka, who was also in Swing Girls) at Sea World, who trains them through unorthodox methods, which brings on the laughter and allows space for the boys to exude charm during their weird routines. It's basically an underdog's story and their struggles to fulfill a promise, whether or not they look stupid or effeminate while doing it. And thrown into the mix is a budding romance between Suzuki, and Shizuko Kiuchi (Aya Hirayama), a female karate exponent from a neighbouring all-girls school.And when they finally get their act going, you'll be left wanting more. That's how a bubblegum movie should be, in order to cover its breezy, simple plot. Thoroughly entertaining, and suitable for all ages.The Code 3 DVD from Alliance Entertainment (as with most locally pressed DVDs) comes without any special features. Visuals are letterboxed, and the quality of transfer is decent. The audio comes in Dolby Digital Stereo, and subtitles are available in English or Chinese. Scene selection is available in 8 chapters.

feilochai i just wanted to see aya hirayama and ended up liking the movie. i wasn't too sure if it was going to be a good movie or not but i thought i would give it a chance since it got such a good rating from IMDb. turns out that the fans were right. to me, this movie seems to be along the lines of joe dirt and school of rock. the kind of movie where the "underdogs" prevail and make a good name for themselves in the end. there was plenty of comedy throughout the whole movie. it was especially funny to see the bad guy from "azumi" act like a dork since he was such a ruthless leader in azumi. and of course, aya hirayama was looking good as always!

lucasinian "Waterboys" is a comedy, a very anime-esque one too, which doesn't mean a bad thing. In fact, I liked this movie for its funny moments and wacky plot elements.The story is basically about five high school boys who decide to learn synchronized swimming, influenced by the new coach of their school's swimming team, Sakuma; An attractive young woman that is into synchro swimming. However, because of an unexpected incident, Sakuma has to go on vacation, leaving the team without supervision. With the Tadano High's summer festival coming very soon, every club from the school is preparing a special event on their own. Suzuki and friends eventually decide to organize a special sync swimming show, with the help of a dolphin trainer. Of course, this wouldn't be an interesting movie, if they didn't face some unexpected events along the way...This is a real feel-good movie that almost everyone can enjoy. Some situations are totally hilarious, reminding me of japanese anime. The five main characters couldn't be more colourful and the acting was superb as well. Shinobu Yaguchi did an awesome job directing this movie, which is a mixture of a lot of nifty elements, from the great characters to the unbelievable humorous moments, this movie is just great.I haven't watched Yaguchi's other works like Adrenaline Drive, for example, so I'm not sure how this one compares to them. But I'm sure if you like comedies and you're a bit open-minded, you'll like "Waterboys".