Friday night is often movie night for me so last night I went through the Cinema Montreal listing, looking for something good. Damn summer movies. Nothing seemed inspiring that I hadn’t already seen.
Then I came across the description of this little gem, watched the trailer and I was hooked! I convinced two of my favorite people to come with me and after a quick dinner on a terrace, it was time to run inside the theater where things got mad hot.
This fantastic, entertaining and funny (really funny) documentary is being advertised as a « Spellbound meets Strictly Ballroom ». We follow the lives of pre-teens in New York City as they go through a mandatory program which teaches them how to ballroom dance. 11 is an awkward age and it’s touching to see how these kids struggle and learn about life through hours of practice in preparation for a competition. We were laughing our heads off at some of the comments and moves these kids made. They are gorgeous (and I mean, drop dead gorgeous), witty, with that touch of innocence that will disappear once they turn into real teenagers. I was moved to tears as I watched young couples find a natural grace on the dance floor, emboldened by a newly found confidence that will hopefully stay with them for the rest of their lives. There’s no need to enjoy dancing to be moved by this film.
Mad Hot Ballroom is a great tribute to the power of dance, the dedication of teachers but also to New York City and its diversity. Can you imagine living in such a city as a child, playing in those streets and being exposed to the gritty reality of urban life on that scale?
Documentaries generally don’t have very long theater runs so rush to see Mad Hot Ballroom! It’s a perfect summer movie (whatever that means) and you’ll leave the theater with your heart and your feet feeling lighter, ready for a few new steps. It already has its spot in my list of favorite movies for 2005.
Je viens de constater que le Voir a fait la critique de ce film dans son num�ro le plus r�cent.
