Derry Herrera
Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.
ReganRebecca
I'm not a dancer myself but I'm a sucker for dance movie and Strictly Ballroom really delivers. I may have given it a perfect rating but it's not technically perfect (there are some low- budget/poor editing/non-sensical story gaps) but if you let go and enjoy the ride these things will just fade away. Set in a small town in Australia the film is about Scott Hastings, the son of the owners of a small dance studio that specializes in ballroom dancing. As the audience is repeatedly reminded, he's been training to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix since he was six years old and even though he's an open amateur, winning the title would assure his financial success as an instructor and a dancer. Unfortunately for his parents and their studio Scott may have the talent, but his heart is elsewhere. Bored with the same pre-approved dance steps he's been perfecting for years he starts experimenting his own non-federation approved steps which results in him losing competitions and his long-term dance partner. But more than willing to step into the void and encourage Scott to follow his heart is newbie dancer Fran, who despite her poor looks and minimal training convinces Scott to giver her a go as a partner. The tone of this film is what I've come to think of as Australian- weird which is cartoonish, wild and lots of fun. It has a much smaller budget than Lurmann's later films, but it contains the same sense of wonder, fun and musicality just on a smaller scale. All of the actors are fantastic but particularly wonderful is Paul Mercurio as Scott who really doesn't get enough credit for his work on the film. He nails every dance sequence which gets coasted over since he's a "dancer" but Mercurio was actually a ballerina who only had a few weeks to train in ballroom and sell the fact that he's an expert. To my untrained eye at least he completely nails it. Tara Morice really nails her role as the ugly duckling who becomes a swan and I really appreciated that Lurmann allows her to be not just plain but downright ugly in her earlier scenes before she gets the makeover that sells her as a romantic lead. Full of humour and heart this is a film I return to again and again.
sharky_55
The less you know about ballroom dancing, I suspect, the more you might enjoy this movie. It is not really about dancing itself but rather how self-absorption and delusions of grandeur can lead artists down some very silly paths. Movies like Strictly Ballroom are akin to peering through a window into a world that we could never ordinarily fathom, and one that may or may not exist in a similar form in reality. If there is a king of the mockumentary it is Christopher Guest, and in Best in Show he did a similar thing by taking aim at the bizarre practices of dog shows and their owners, resulting in scenes that were both vicious and very funny. There are an endless number of competitive worlds that this same approach can be applied to: models (Zoolander), rock bands (Spinal Tap), athletes, equestrian, ballerinas, you name it. The opening of Strictly Ballroom is charged with the same energy and self-importance that these dancers radiate. Their gliding steps unfurl rhythmically in match cuts, and they make sure their costumes are adorned with as many sequins and shiny beads as possible, so that when the stage lights hit them they glitter like prancing, overdressed angels. Catherine Martin and Angus Strathie come together to construct a world that fashions itself like a grotesque child beauty pageant for adults, full of garishly fake tans, lurid red lips, oodles of drama, and overbearing parents living vicariously through their children. The godlike authority of the ballroom world is one man, never referred to as simply Barry, nor Fife, but always Barry Fife, and often with his full title of Federation President Barry Fife. These 'adults' are shot frequently from below and through wide-angle lenses, distorting their already monstrous features and exposing the leathery cracks in their hide-I mean err, skin. The introduction also makes delightful use of the mockumentary format to poke fun at the scandal of young prodigy Scott Hastings going off book, by not adhering to 'strictly ballroom' moves, but resorting to his own flashier, impromptu moves (at one point he even fits the worm in there). Luhrmann cuts to and from the controversy with great relish, allowing his talking heads to exaggerate, and their horrified reactions to build the drama. He pushes his dramatic zooms to their utmost invasiveness to highlight and underline the shock horror of a dancer who dares defy the code of the ballroom floor. When Scott later goes to 'apologise' to Liz for leading her into a world of darkness and temptation, he doesn't do it through words but through interpretive dance; the passive aggressiveness in their graceful one-two is terribly funny. The story is of course an over-ripe, over-done tale of redemption that we can all see coming a mile away. Scott has a vision and a dream, and with a dumpy, bespectacled amateur (who later turns out to be beautiful) he'll take it to the adults and dance the way he likes or die trying. Fran is so plain that she's been dancing with a girl all along, perhaps because along the way she was mistaken for a boy and was too shy to speak up about it. When an impassionate plea to courage and bravery reveals her Spanish roots, the pair retreat to the railroads to refine their moves with a cultural twist, and come morning, she's removed her glasses and they look like a completely different couple. Earnestness is what keeps the film going. Just look at how Liz storms into the room with tears in her eyes to proclaim that she's been dropped (dumped) by Ken, and therefore the end of the world is nearing. Or listen to Federation President Barry Fife anoint the Pan Pacific champions as immortal heroes, a "guiding light" to all other dancers. Nathan and Tina are no longer two individuals, but Nathan Sparkle and Tina Sparkle, one homogeneous ballroom unit, forever to be referred as such. Unlike some of his later, more audacious features, here Luhrmann knows how to keep his distance, because his dancers do all the flaunting and showboating for him. Such a film could never be made in America because Hollywood would turn it into a life-changing experience (Dirty Dancing, Flashdance). Now here are characters that think and dance as if they have leapt right off the Hollywood big screen, and who substitute the hills and skyline for a glittery Coca Cola billboard. They've brushed off their humble beginnings (the banners say Pan Pacific in big gold letters, but they all have Australian accents), and might never amount to anything higher than the fleeting glory of the ballroom floor, but for them it's more than enough. Few films are as openly honest about its intentions as Strictly Ballroom, and that is how you earn the right to use 'Love is in the Air' to close.
Tafiet
I got much more out of this movie than I thought I would. It was funny, romantic and had the right amount of drama. I decided to watch it because it was on my "to watch" list. This list was constructed through a number of years. So, I find myself losing interest in some of the movies on there as time goes on. As was the case of this movie. The Get Down is what reminded me to watch the movie because I hadn't watched anything by Baz Luhrmann. I wanted to do so before watching the show because for me, that usually adds to the experience of watching something. After watching it, I am motivated to go on and watch all his other films because this was a great movie. 9/10
A_Different_Drummer
First, a word to those reviewers who gave this film less than a "10." That word is "Whaa?" This is a perfect film, possibly the best film ever to leave Australia, a film that can literally be used as a template for other films (we can only hope) in years and decades to come.It is three films in one, actually.A "ballroom dance" film that effectively predates the ballroom craze in N.A. and the many TV series which followed.A "feel good" film. That actually makes you feel good.and .. wait for it .. a love story.And excellent in all three classes.There are no wasted frames, no wasted dialog, there is no part of this film that does not work as a cohesive whole to bring the viewer to the final climax.Entertainment at its best.
