Vem Dançar Comigo

This is a very stylized film, a lot of fun, a lot of great dancing. Some of the costumes and performances, within the scope of the plot, are almost painful, yet appropriate. And the upshot of the whole thing is a message we wish we could all live by, every day. I relate to the ugly duckling storyline, and also enjoy the attractive male star! There are characters you love to hate and those who step up when you didn't think they would. The flashbacks are very quirky/funny. I'm sure in Australia this ballroom dancing stuff is taken deadly seriously, so Luhrman probably took a hit for lampooning it the way he does. But the whole thing is a good time that ends up having unexpectedly warm, deep meaning, and not many movies these days can say that.

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.

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.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this so imagine my surprise when I found out that I absolutely loved it! Contains and comprises all the right ingredients, perfectly proportioned, blended and mixed to make you laugh, cry, smile and grimace. Slip on your dancing shoes, glide onto the dance floor and free yourself for ninety minutes of antipodean ballroom brilliance.

Strictly Ballroom (1992)

A campy, glossy, colorful, surprising fairy tale, total romance, lots of dancing, and inventive through and through. No, director Baz Luhmann has not pulled off another Moulin Rouge, which is a whole other order of invention and beauty, but this is his first movie, and it's filled with idealism. And some people to root for and to hiss against--you know, heroes and villains.

It could have been tightened up, no doubt--there are times when I was a little impatient even though they were dancing away. But mostly I was happy to watch and wait for the next step toward the big climax.

The two young leads, interestingly, came from nowhere (the perfectly named Paul Mercurio and the understated Tara Morice both in their first films). They've gone on to largely television careers, and in part you appreciate how much Luhmann gets from them. The highly stylized approach helps avoid a need for real acting, per se, but Mercurio in particular really rises to the occasion. The whole affair is Australian, and it feels bright and original the way some of fellow Aussie Peter Weir's films do, or in another sense, Peter Jackson.

If you can summon up any innocence and romance and go for what really clicks here, be swept up and love it.