Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
As a 1984 English mining town is beset by strike, young Billy Elliot learns ballet, and its therapeutic powers.
Liked
The acting, the complex family relationships.
Thoughts
A well-acted film that packs some emotion.
The acting, especially by Jamie Bell and Gary Lewis made the heart of the film. Bell wonderfully exuded the pain and frustrations living in a lower class family with issues. Gary Lewis had some cool moments as the father struggling to keep the family together during a strike. Everyone else was solid as well. Shame on me for not recognizing Mrs. Weasley as the chain-smoking teacher.
While the overall premise was formulaic, the complications and characters were well thought out and written. There was a lot of adult subtext and themes that were not spelled out to the audience, which worked for me because that's how a frustrated eleven year old boy would have seen the world. I was intrigued by the complex, crumbling relationships on a stressed out family. All these themes were a little dark and painful without being depressing.
Ebert thought the character swings were too convenient, especially the father. I disagree. I thought there were some subtle moments and subtext in Lewis performance to hint at a multi-dimensional character.
On the other hand, I heartily agree with Ebert that it was a shame this was rated R, mostly for foul language. While this was clearly too complex for young kids, I think it would be an entertaining, relatable film for teens. There were a lot of struggling suburban family themes that teens or adults can relate to.
I recommend this well-executed underdog story full of life, drama, and dance. I also recommend subtitles, as the English accent was too strong for me.
What I would change
Nothing.
