Boobirt
Stylish but barely mediocre overall
BoardChiri
Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
videorama-759-859391
I'm not really into kid's movies, or ones about dance, but coming across this one day on Foxtel, I had to see it again. The smartly done, Razzle Dazzle, mocks up the performance of dance. It comes across as very documentary, while also having some clever, uproariously comic moments, in between. The performances, especially, from the adults, the mums of the star kids, are very good indeed, even from Ms grown up (second hand rose) Jane Hall. Paul Mercurio even makes a guest appearance, as does Leo Sayer, near the end, while being a judge on the big dance competition, so many kiddies have trained hard for. We see an array of talent indeed. RD is real life, in this competitive industry, where we the kid's pitfalls, rejection, disappointment, envy, and those premadonna types, that literally get on my goose. For Mums or kids involved in dance, this is a most treasured watch. I guarantee, you'll love it.
rooprect
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.
sara-kay
1 word- FABULOUS. not your average movie at all! Razzle Dazzle is an Australian based movie but a fake documentary. It is so full of unexpected jokes and wise cracks. i found it wonderful.Only 1 thing some people i complained about was the fuzziness in the beginning. I think it was just a bit of an affect and made no damage to the movie. Ben Miller is great in this movie but it was Kerry Armstrongs act as a pushy stage mother that had me in tears. She is just so into her character in the movie. She tries to make her daughter seem the best in front of others and tells her off for each little mistake. What i found most funny was the fact she took her daughter in for a nose job (which of course didn't happen) and complained how she might end up with her fathers nose. Though the concept of the movie is based on what happens in the homes and studios of the children, the main focus is the competition. They compete in a style of dance telling a story.I recommend this movie for people whom enjoy dancing and comedies.
ptb-8
Razzle dazzle is a very poor excuse for a trip to the cinema. in fact so lame even as a dance pic it tanked completely and struggled to find even a morning session in week three. The problem? well there is no movie; it is yet another 'mockumentary' a sort of hybrid Waiting For Guffman or A Mighty Wind and too late in the cycle of so-called funny fake documentaries. Also it insults the very audience it seeks to draw... kids in the suburban dance schools and their fanatical parents... this is the sort of misfire typical of many Australian so-called comedies: no market research, obvious characters and a compete waste of resources and expertise. The whole misguided Mr Jonathan's school of dance disasters is simply not funny and basically smacks of being created without any thought to how asinine it actually is. The ads and posters for RD clearly suggest a teenage Strictly Ballroom but there is no movie, just this wobblecam 'making-of' nonsense. With a strong cast completely wasted mocking stereotypes they hope will actually buy expensive $16.50 tickets each to see this in a Sydney cinema, Razzle dazzle misfires on every count. Only two things are of genuine interest: Kerry Armstrong's great body and the fantastic interior of the Crest Ballroom. The boring rest? NO.