Bootmen

Well, I've just seen Bootmen a second time, and let me say that its even better second time round! Seeing it twice really gives you the opportunity to focus on the stuff you missed out the first time. For example, I was looking at the smaller details instead of all the same stuff as the first time. I've just read my first review thing and I realised I said that dancing at the beginning was not so spectacular. I'm an idiot! I meant to say the acting! The acting wasnt so hot at the beginning but quickly picks up towards the middle. Again, the dancing was awesome, the actors were awesome and Adam Garcia is definitely beyond awesome! I love the man's hair! And I just realised that it is Dein Perry himself as that Anthony guy at that dance show in Sydney that Sean gets into. Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

The concept is good - to try to capture the style of the "Tap Dogs" and turn it into a feature film.

Sadly, the transition to the big screen was not entirely successful. In order to reach the big tap finale, we had to wade through an hour and a half of paper thin plot - nice guy fails to make it in the big city, father-son conflict, brother-brother conflict and small scale organized crime racket.

The quality of the acting left a bit to be desired (this is to be expected as the guys were selected for their tap ability, rather than their acting pedigree), and Sophie Lee was ... well, Sophie Lee (I'm yet to be convinced that she is an actor).

The bleak industrial landscape and cinematography were quite good, as were the actors in the small supporting roles.

So when push comes to shove - was the final tap spectacular worth sitting through the movie? Sure was, it's just a shame there wasn't a bit more of it.

When this movie focuses on the dancing, it is amazing and joyful. Unfortunately, far too much time is spent on the extremely pedestrian story of underdog dancers, star-crossed love lives and gang fights.

While the story was trite, the acting and the dancing were superb. Both main male leads do a terrific job, with Adam Garcia (previous film: Coyote Ugly) an absolute standout as the guy with the dream that he makes come true despite the odds.

I'm glad I didn't pay full price, but for a matinee price - you can ignore the story and concentrate on the dance numbers. Those *are* worth the price of admission.

I was born in Newcastle where this film was set, and was still living there at the time when this was filmed and when released was very interested in watching it.

All I can say is that Adam Garcia was fantastic and showed his amazing dancing skills - he is also a great singer as well as shown on An Audience with Kylie Minogue last year and he is definitely such a versatile performer and one to watch in years to come.

Seeing areas of where I grew up in Newcastle was surreal and I even recognised some local faces as extras. The theatre they used when Adam's character was in Sydney was really the Civic Theatre which is located in Newcastle.

Sophie Lee has come a long way the past few years and definitely deserves higher recognition - I'm not saying this because she is also a Newcastle girl but I thought she outshone Kate Winslet in Holy Smoke and gave Toni Collete a run for her money in Muriel's Wedding and it was a shame she didn't have a bigger role.

Australian movies are really hit or miss and this is definitely a hit, along with The Dish which was released around the same time. The dancing sequence is heartpounding and this is definitely one film worth a look.

'Bootmen' is a cross between 'The Full Monty' and 'Billy Elliot' but the comparisons have to stop there, as this film contains neither the depth nor the humor of the other two. It is one of the few Australian Films I have seen that, either purposefully or not, looks more like a Hollywood flick, and perhaps coincidentally it ranks lower than most Aussie films on my list. The characters are developed haphazardly, and the tone of the movie follows a similar chaotic path, with excellent dancing not quite making up for a weak script and a feeble, unoriginal plot. Although at parts moving or amusing (or occasionally both at once) the film as a whole lacks focus, and it could be seen as a way to bring the Directors talent as a choreographer into the limelight. Impressive dancing, but otherwise nothing special, and towards the end it appears to lose touch with reality.