| Billy Elliot |
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| Rating: Very Good Distributor: Universal Pictures Rating: R Genre: Drama Release Date: October 13th, 2000 (limited) Running Time: 1 hour, 50 minutes Director: Stephen Daldry Cast: Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Gary Lewis, Jamie Draven, Jeane Heywood, Stuart Wells, and Nicola Blackwell. |
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| Plot: An eleven-year-old boy (Jamie Bell) finds that he has a special talent for ballet. This occurs when he becomes frustrated with boxing and girls are practicing ballet close by. He finds joy in the sport as he becomes an excellent dancer, and his teacher pushes him forward and shows him dedication. When his father (Gary Lewis) finds out he becomes angry and stops giving him the money he thought his son was using for boxing. The teacher begins to tutor him without charge by himself, developing him into a young superstar of ballet. He has unique relationships with his teacher's daughter, his best friend who is a gay cross dresser, and his sick grandmother. He has to find away to overcome his barriers and make it to a fancy ballet school that his teacher recommends. His father and brother must grow to overcome their disgust for the boy's love, while the boy must find a way to control his anger. To top things off his father and brother are busy with a union strike of their mining facility. |
| Critique: This story probably couldn't have got much more cliched, or unoriginal, however it was so modest and enjoyable I could have cared less. The relationships the boy had were very fascinating and the struggles between father and older son are especially real. In fact, everyone seemed real in this story, which is the main reason it works. Stephen Warbeck delivered a grand score to help the intelligent script and terrific acting. Everyone gives their best effort in this fantastic movie. Stephen Daldry's direction lacked any large flaws. The movie was incredibly likable and delivered a wonderful message. This message was to follow your dreams, and although that message has been given before, the film used charm to teach us it again. The script was witty and smart, and it moved smoothly. If I had to choose a feel good film this year this would be Billy Elliot, it dished out genuine joy and had an uplifting spirit. There was some real solid effort put into this piece, and it shows. If you want to have a good time with a minimum ammount of stress I recommend Billy Elliot. In fact, if you want to see a good film altogether 'Billy' is a great choice. It delivers nicely. review by supernothingman for questions or comments, please email me at [email protected]m |
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| picture above from www.billyelliot.com |
| Top 10 |
| 2000 |
| 1/2 |