Terrific provided one doesn't look too closely

budikavlan

Part realistic, part fairy tale, this is spirited satirical romp through the world of Australian competitive Ballroom Dancing.  The performances are uniformly winning, especially Paul Mercurio (a natural in his first starring role), Bill Hunter (the King of Australian comedy films), and Pat Thomson (as a hysterical bulldozer of a stage mother).  Close scrutiny reveals two major flaws, however.  The character of Fran (Tara Morice) is much too "ugly duckling" at the beginning of the film; no one as intelligent and self-aware as she is could remain so clumsy and plain into adulthood.  I can buy the blossoming of self-esteem through love, but there's only so much love can do.  The other problem is larger:  the "revolutionary" dancing Scott and Fran are doing is virtually indistinguishable from the staid, boring styles they are supposedly rebelling against.  It looks better because of how the director and editor presented it, but there is little if any qualitative difference.  That said, the film is well worth a look, with guaranteed laughs, excitement, and an interesting soundtrack.

score /10

budikavlan 29 June 2002

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0313648/