Razzle Dazzle: A Journey Into Dance

I watched Razzle Dazzle today not knowing much about it before hand, and therefore not having any great expectations. I love a good mockumentary, and if I had to compare it to any other, I would say it was in the same vein as "Drop Dead Gorgeous". But of course it had that Australian flavour to it which therefore meant the characters were a bit more relatable for me. Kerry Armstrong was wonderful as a pushy stage mother. This role could easily have gone into cliché but Kerry is such a good actress that she manages to get you to almost (only almost) fully understand her motives. Of course her daughter Tenille doesn't need to be pushed too hard, she wants it just as much. In contrast to Justine and Tenille, Nadine Garner's character of young Grace's mother is more of an interested outsider. She encourages her daughter, but it is Grace who is much more motivated and has the desire. The characters of Mr Jonothan and Miss Elizabeth are also complete contrasts - one is nurturing, the other a harsh task master. Miss Elizabeth also has the best cat's bum face I've ever seen. Denise Richards as Barbara the serial foster mother is a riot, while I didn't even recognise Tara Morice until the credits... but I did enjoy her rendition of "Gold".

Overall, the film was gently over the top, which I feel is the point of mockumentaries, while simultaneously making us feel for the characters. Razzle Dazzle is well written and very well acted. Good job.

Delightful, quite funny mockumentary in the vein of Christopher Guest, especially 'Waiting For Guffman'. If this isn't quite as surreally inventive or hysterically funny as that modern classic, it makes up for it with a great sense of good cheer, a dose of humanity between all the absurdity, and a terrific lead performance from Ben Miller as a deeply self-delusional dance teacher.

It's all about dance school competitions between different groups of pre-adolescent girls. Miller plays Mr. Jonathon, who not only desperately wants to finally win, but also to make political statements by staging dances based on issues like the Kyoto Climate Protocols. This leads to some extremely funny sequences as we see these little girls dancing about some of the most un-dance-able concepts imaginable. The dialogue is witty, the supporting performances generally very strong (the one weakness is that some of the supporting 'types' lampooned are a bit too familiar and easy targets), and the choreography is great - just off enough to be extremely amusing.

I was very glad I took a chance on this, and picked up a DVD copy on a friend's recommendation.

What a terrific movie. An Aussie success. Kerry Armstrong deserves the highest accolades as do all the kids doing the dancing. Mister Jonathan may not get the top prize but he gets points for showing the audience that dance is not always a love story but can be used to convey the darker side of world issues. Passion is messy and cringing sometimes but the director and writers handle the edge between drive and madness with soft eyes.

Sydney film locations included a historic building in Parramatta and Justine's home in Northwest of Sydney. Unexpected bonus: Imagine my delight when I recognized Justine's home as one designed by friends - Indigo and Ochre, Architects based in Sydney. The slightly over the top house matched Justine's character perfectly.

Yes. I, rooprect, am offering a money-back guarantee with this film. That's how confident I am that you'll think it's funny.

When I saw this for $4 in the Blockbuster used pile, the DVD cover wasn't very convincing nor were the reviews on the back which made it sound like an ABC afterschool special. I figured it would be a dud. But since I'd never seen an Australian film & I like Australian accents, I figured it would be a decent way to kill an hour & a half.

2 minutes into it, I LOL'd. A few minutes later I LMAO'd. And when they said that line about Brandon Lee, I actually ROFL'd. The gags kept coming, and at one point I thought to myself there's no way they could keep up the pace without becoming absurd. But somehow they managed to deliver laughs throughout AND also develop some very interesting characters and an engaging story with some super cool dance moves & super cute girls (not to mention 1 boy who's such an amazing dancer it'll make you want to try a backflip or two).

It's hard not to compare this film to "Spinal Tap", "Mighty Wind" and the other great mockumentaries by Christopher Guest because the format is very similar. But Razzle Dazzle is refreshing enough that you'll never think of it as a Guest ripoff, even though it fits right in. What makes it so refreshing? The extras.

Yes, the real stars of this film are the young, 11-13 year-old girls who play the dancers in this misfit dance troupe. They don't say a lot of lines, but whenever they're on camera their expressions & reactions are so hilarious you'll find yourself rewinding to watch them again in the background. In the "Making Of" featurette on the DVD, the director said he achieved this by not telling the girls the script beforehand, so their reactions are 100% genuine. There was also quite a bit of ad-libbing. The result is pure comedic perfection.

The adult actors were great themselves. Each person plays a caricature of reality but they do it so convincingly that you never stop to think you're being had. There's a loser, a spaz, a bitch, a clueless mom, and a weird goth chick in one of the funniest non-speaking roles I've seen. Really, everyone did a fantastic job. I think this is one of the greatest examples of deadpan humour I've seen in a long time.

I can't believe only 340 IMDb people have voted on this film to date. "Razzle Dazzle" definitely gets my vote for the best undiscovered gem in the last 10 years.

Razzle Dazzle makes us laugh at ourselves. No really! Darren Ashton (director) chooses his feel-good mockumentary on competitive dance in Australia to show realistic characters. And the audience can't help but laugh at our immature look on life - our competitive nature! Kerry Armstrong and Ben Miller are wonderfully cast as pushy stage mum Justine and dance visionary Mr Jonathon. Quirky yet significant lines show what's really happening in the arts (both adult and child perspective). The film even makes a crack on the plight of Afghani women. This has to be one of the first films that has been able to make me laugh uncontrollably at some parts of the film and think and question the character of humanity in others. It revolves around family so basically is good for any age. It really is a journey on dance - from the beginning, we're all connected to the characters and we want Mr Jonathon's dance school to win. We watch their journey progress and fold. Loved every minute of it! Denise Roberts as Barbara was funny too. She was my fav. character!

Highly recommended! * * * * *