Reviews of Ballroom Dance Movies - Page Three
Here's page three of our dance movie reviews. Don't forget to check back with us for the new ballroom movies coming up...we'll be reviewing them here!
As Always...Happy Dancing!
Scent of a Woman (1992)
Al Pacino
"Frank is a retired Lt Col in the US army. He's blind and impossible to get along with. Charlie is at school and is looking forward to going to university; to help pay for a trip home for Christmas, he agrees to look after Frank over thanksgiving. Frank's niece says this will be easy money, but she didn't reckon on Frank spending his thanksgiving in New York." If you like Al Pacino, you'll love this movie. If you love dancing, you'll thoroughly enjoy the wonderfully exciting tango scene - it's not to be missed! This is a must buy to add to your collection of dance movies. |
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Shall We Dance? (2004)
Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci
"Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez step out in a delightfully sexy comedy with a sizzling all-star cast! John Clark (Gere) is a meek workaholic who feels trapped in a dull, mind-numbing existence. But one night, his whole life changes when the sight of a beautiful dance instructor (Lopez) inspires him to break out of his mold and sign up for ballroom dancing lessons! Now, he'll have to step lightly -- and do some fancy footwork -- if he expects to keep his exciting new passion a secret from his family and friends." Richard Gere is pure perfection! The dance scenes are extremely enjoyable and fun to watch. Stanley Tucci is a scream! The sexy Argentine tango scene between Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez will have you on the edge of your seat with its very exciting choreography to a tango that oozes sensuality. |
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Shall We Dance? (1997)
Also known as Shall We Dansu? (1996) in Japanese
"Here's the irresistible comedy treat that had critics and audiences cheering all across America ... and inspired the new Hollywood remake starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Sarandon. A middle-aged workaholic's incredibly dull life takes a funny turn when he signs up for a ballroom dance class -- just to meet the sexy dance teacher. But when he finally muscles up the nerve for lessons he winds up with a different instructor and her colorfully eccentric class of beginners! Among the colorful characters Sugiyama meets is his coworker Aoki, who transforms himself from geeky systems analyst to hilariously flamboyant (and bad-wigged) lounge lizard. Aoki explains to Sugiyama, "When I finish work, put on the clothes, the wig and become Donny Burns, Latin world champion, and I start to move to the rhythm, I'm so happy, so completely free." Shall We Dance is especially noteworthy for contrasting the boldness of social dance with the buttoned-up societal mores of Japan, where people avoid public displays of emotion. Even in Japan, the joy of dance is irresistible." Aoki will have you rolling on the floor laughing with his crazy antics - definitely a fun movie! |
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Staying Alive (1983)
John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes
"It's five years later and Tony Manero's Saturday Night Fever is still burning. Now he's strutting toward his biggest challenger yet - making it as a dancer on the Broadway stage." "...when Tony scores his first Broadway triumph and says to his girlfriend, "you know what I wanna do? I wanna strut!" He then goes out the side theatre door, music of staylin alive by the bee gees plays and walks out on Times Square. It's same vision we saw six years earlier...Tony walking like he owned the world. It's so NY! He's the boy from Brooklyn, who made it." Some very humorous scenes in this movie a la Saturday Night Fever and Sylvester Stallone, who directed and cowrote the screenplay, gives Travolta an amazing, pumped-up body; you'll never see him looking like that again so you have to see it, if just for this! A movie to add to your collection, right beside Saturday Night Fever. |
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Stepping Out (1991)
Lisa Minelli, Jane Krakowski, Andrea Martin, Shelley Winters
"Liza plays Mavis Turner, a has-been Broadway hoofer who now teaches tap lessons and sings in a bar in her spare time. The charming group of misfits who all come together once a week for their tap lesson share with Mavis the joys and sadness of their lives. When the group is asked to perform at a charity gala, they realise what the group really can accomplish." I love this movie and never get tired of watching it. The dance sequences... Liza's singing parts... the comedy... the personal scenes as each student goes through practicing at the studio and at home... all-in-all a very cute, endearing movie that will have you giggling! |
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Strictly Ballroom (1993)
"Scott Hastings is a champion caliber ballroom dancer, but much to the chagrin of the Australian ballroom dance community, Scott believes in dancing "his own steps". Fran is a beginning dancer and a bit of an ugly duckly who has the audacity to ask to be Scott's partner after his unorthodox style causes his regular partner to dance out of his life. Together, these two misfits try to win the Australian Pan Pacific Championships and show the Ballroom Confederation that they are wrong when they say, "there are no new steps!" This is your typical poor ugly duckling meeting handsome boy who makes something out of her - type movie with alot of comical scenes from everyone in the cast. An Australian satire that may sometimes have you going "huh?" but watch carefully - and more than once - it's really worth it! |
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Swing Kids (1993)
"A group of boys living in World War II Germany rebel by listening and
dancing to Nazi-banned American Swing music. Their days of fun are numbered,
as the chaotic world in which they live tears them apart. The movie, itself
somewhat depressing...the dancing; out of this world." |
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Tango Bar 1994)
Raul Julia
"This is a MUST for anyone who enjoys doing the tango, listening to the music, or just watching the tango danced! What I enjoyed most in this move was how the history of Tango and the politics of Argentina were interwoven in the story. It portrays how the dance evolved from the barrios to the bordellos early in the 20th century, to how it made its way to the elite ballrooms and salons of Europe and New York in the 1920's, through the 1930's-40's and 50's, ultimately to contemporary evocations of Tango. The love story triangle was a bit corny, but it works with the whole presentation. I could watch this movie over and over again, enjoying the music and studying the superb execution of the dancers! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!" "The history of tango shown in film clips is what makes this movie great...the dance sequences are well done...If you dance the tango you'll enjoy this movie all the more." |
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