Strictly Ballroom - Die gegen alle Regeln tanzen

I sure enjoyed it despite the complete lack of explosions or car chases.

Where I'm coming from: I'm a 54 year old male who has danced for 15 years. My girlfriend has danced since she was 3. We don't compete because it would make our relaxing hobby a pressured nightmare (and, frankly, because I'm not very good). My daughter competed and did very well.

Some reviewers apparently missed that this movie is a satire and it's supposed to be dumb and funny. Having sat through more competitions than I can count, I can state this movie hits the nail on the head. The parents, the kids, the beginners, the prima donnas...it's all true. Yes, it's really campy and schmaltzy, the plot has holes you could drive a truck through, the acting is sometimes marginal, but we both enjoyed it and laughed out loud.

And what's the best part of this movie? The dancing. It is photographed and edited such that you can really see and enjoy the dancing without having constant cutaways to the judges or the audience (as in current American TV dance competitions. I don't know about you, but I watch dance shows for the dancing).

There are no deep plot twists to be analyzed, no characters I need to understand better...but we definitely plan to watch this again because the dancing is really good.

If you liked this, you will enjoy Best in Show.

The first time I saw Strictly Ballroom I tuned in accidentally to the grand climax while flipping through my cable channels: I was transfixed, and when the ten minutes was over I felt emotionally spent and stimulated at the same time, as if some door had been opened in my psyche. I knew I had to find the movie and watch it in its entirety. Now, fifteen viewings, a VHS tape, audio tape, and music CD of SB later, I happened upon it again tonight (interspliced with Sister Act by Emile Ardolino...), and I again watched the grand climax, with a bit of lead-in, with my wife and young sons. It was just as emotional and powerful as the first time, and I cried yet again. This is a very very special film. Baz Luhrman takes risks that most directors would not dare to, and his movies work because he gets to the heart of the matter, gets to the truth. In this case, the truth is "To thine own self be true", a familiar message told in a fresh and wonderful way. Bravo.

It's a love story. It's a story about being yourself. It's story of following your dreams and not giving up. It's a story with DANCING!!

A boy who loves to dance HIS WAY loses at the major dancing competition. Why or why can't he dance like the others. This is killing his mother. No one wants to be his partner now. He is TOO MUCH!

He works as an instructor at his parents dance studio. His mom wants him to dance again, but the right way. His dad doesn't say much. He is too busy reliving his old dancing days when he was happier. There is a girl who dances at the studio who wants to be his partner. She is too plain and clumsy to be taken seriously. Will she ever get the chance?? Will the boy ever make the world see his way?? Will his mom ever chill out?? Will his Dad end up in the Nuthouse??? For the answers to these questions, please get this film.

Seriously, you will love this film. Though it follows closely to the "DIRTY DANCING" story, it is much more than that. The characters are just so off the wall you will laugh your arse off. The love story is kind of sweet, but the DANCING is great!

8 out of 10

Long before the visually flamboyant director Baz Luhrmann gave us the blockbuster "Moulin Rouge", he made his debut with this quirky Aussie dancecom. The spirit of "Strictly Ballroom" is very campy, tongue-in-cheek and outright parodic, mercilessly skewering the pretentious world of ballroom dance competitions in a way that makes us wonder what planet this film was shot on.

Immediately you might be reminded of the hilarious Christopher Guest mockumentaries (Spinal Tap, A Mighty Wind, etc), but Baz gives this production an extra little push over the cliff. Unapologetically departing from reality, he hits us with a hyper-saturated visual feast, coupled with the fact that the story is set in the 1970s, taking us to the edge of absurdist fantasy. The presentation is almost claustrophobic, in that the entire story takes place on basically just 3 sets: the dance school, the girl's home, and the competition arena), and yet the magnificent use of colorful sets, elegant camera work, and large spaces makes us feel like we're in some sort of bizarre Aussie Wonderland. That's the Terry Gilliam (Brazil) part.

And if that blend isn't bizarre enough, get this. The plot itself is rooted in a very cute John Hughes-ish teen rebel story (Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller), thus appealing to our inner misfit youth. The combination is a real treat, and if any of these elements interest you, I guarantee you'll have a wild ride.

The dancing and choreography is absolutely stunning. Paul Mercurio ("Scott") definitely has moves that would make Fred Astaire tip his top hat, and Baz allows for a few long segments so we can take it all in. At the same time, the dance segments don't interrupt the pacing and flow of the story. Somehow it all blends together seamlessly. I have to say, dance, comedy and surrealism is an unlikely mix, but it comes together brilliantly. That's something I haven't seen since the days of Jerry Lewis directing.

"Strictly Ballroom" is one of the most entertaining and engaging movies about dancing I've ever seen. If you enjoy this flick, definitely check out "Razzle Dazzle", another hilarious Aussie dancecom, which also features the lovely Tara Morice ("Fran") but in a role I guarantee you wouldn't recognize her in if I hadn't told you.

Yes, yes, I agree with all of the wonderful comments below, but here are a few things nobody has mentioned:

1. The EDITING is superb. All too often we focus on the actors, music, or cinematography. This is natural, and in this film all of these are superb. But keep a close watch of the editing - wow, it is perfect and ties the whole film together flawlessly. There are so many cuts that make the perspective magical.(And no, I am not a film editor.)

2. Look at WHO is dancing together as couples, right at the end. This, like so many other fine details, carries lots of significance.

3. When Scott and Fran are practising on the deck at her house, under the instruction of her family, her Spanish father dances with her and says "Muy bien, muy bien, Fran. Very good!" Notice that he uses her Anglo name "Fran" rather than her Spanish name, and converts over to English. The look he gives her tells us that he is probably seeing his (deceased) wife, via his daughter whom he loves, and that he finally ACCEPTS her and her Anglo boyfriend. This is but one of many small scenes that have more depth than may be first apparent.

My wife and I grabbed this video to 'fill in time' during a quiet weekend. We were astounded at how it captivated us since we had already seen it when it first came out. Like other comments below, we have watched the end repeatedly, and it always 'revs us up' into the clouds. Bravo!