Strictly Ballroom

More than just a dance movie...great life lessons are here
Baz Luhrmann at his finest. This terrific film is really three movies in one. First, there's the tremendous dance movie whcih centers on Scott Hastings (Paul Mecurio) and his struggles to introduce 'new steps' to the sheltered world of Austrailian ballroom dancing. For dance afficiandos, despite the broad comedy that infuses the movie, the dancing is the real thing. Mecurio is a formally trained dancer and you simply can't fake, edit, or body-double the moves he pulls off in this film. Even if you're not a dancer, Mecurio's athletiscism alone is worth seeing.

The second movie is a Dirty Dancing-style, boy-meets-ugly-duckling tale. The story allows you to peek behind the covers of a first generation Australian and her awkward attempts to fit into a new culture while maintaining her European ties at home.

The third movie is what sets Strictly Ballroom apart from the field - tremendously funny, broad caricatures squabbling around the periphery of Scott and his...

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cheer! A movie WALLOW!
This Australian gem is one of those rare films that entertains, thrills and pokes fun at an established activiity (in this case, a ballroom dance federation).

To take this film seriously is to miss out on one of the great moviegoing/ moviewatching experiences of the 1990s.

In a nutshell, an up-and-coming champion ballroom dancer gets bored dancing the same tired steps that everyone has danced in competition the past 50 years and wants to break out and do things his way. Of course, his way is the better way, but that causes all the angst, high drama, dashed hopes and utter hilarity that ensues as forces clash to prevent the young man from taking the ballroom dancing world by storm and up to a new level.

Of course, it's what we've all, always, expected: Things don't change in such events because those who judge and teach can only judge/teach that with which they are familiar.

The cast is perfect, from the dashing young lead embodied by...

My anti-depressant
Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, but the first time I watched this movie, I checked it out of the library. I was a recently divorced single parent of two, struggling with a house note and bills I couldn't pay. On this particular day, I was fighting a bad cold, and feeling generally tired and unhappy. I took this movie out based only on the "Two Thumbs Up" recommendation of Siskel & Ebert at the bottom of the case. After viewing this film, I felt energized and full of good humor. I eventually bought it and have shared it with my mom, sister, kids, friends, and new husband. They all loved it! Where do I start? 1. The performances. Everyone in this movie is wonderful. They are believable and credible even though the material is completely over the top so much of the time. I love these people. 2. Then there's the romance. The main love story is very sweet, but all throughout the film, you feel like romance is literally in the air. It's also amazing how much sensuality is...

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