Billy Elliot Review
By Robert Strohmeyer
Beyond the fact that the whole coal-miner's-kid-has-talent-and-big-dreams genre has been horrifically overdone from the earliest days of English-language narrative, Billy Elliot (aka Dancer) is actually a treat to watch. Maybe it's just the funny accents, but the dialog comes off fresh and surprising, even when it's just Billy's dad (played by Gary Lewis) saying some stock like, "No son of mine is going to be dancing ballet." In fact, Lewis conveys an intense fury through his role as the apparently ignorant father, while maintaining a sense of depth and dimension that is, at times, endearing.
Debut screenwriter Lee Hall has thrown this film against the backdrop of the 1984 English miners' strike, adding richness to the otherwise banal family drama. Yet other attempts at broadening the lives of these characters fail entirely to be interesting. For instance; the typical and unsurprising shots at sexual discovery, the completely pointless presence of a cross-dressing, gay schoolyard buddy as a pretense for God knows what--it just comes off cheap and stupid--and a happy-go-lucky ending that made everyone in the audience (except for two fat ladies directly in front of me) want to regurgitate their popcorn and Kit Kats.
Ultimately, though, Billy Elliot is a funny, charming movie. The cast is loveable and believable. And the almost-entirely-T. Rex soundtrack worked magically next to Jamie Bell's subtly awkward dancing to create a memorable, satisfying film.
Pose, Billy!
Facts and Figures
Year: 2000
Run time: 110 mins
In Theaters: Friday 10th November 2000
Box Office USA: $17.7M
Box Office Worldwide: $110M
Budget: $5M
Distributed by: NCM Fathom
Production compaines: Arts Council of England, BBC Films, Studio Canal, Tiger Aspect Productions, WT2 Productions, Working Title Films
Reviews
Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Fresh: 98 Rotten: 17
IMDB: 7.7 / 10
Cast & Crew
Director: Stephen Daldry
Producer: Greg Brenman, Jonathan Finn
Screenwriter: Lee Hall
Starring: Jamie Bell as Billy Elliot, Julie Walters as Mrs. Wilkinson, Jean Heywood as Grandmother, Jamie Draven as Tony Elliot, Gary Lewis as Jackie Elliot, Stuart Wells as Michael Caffrey, Nicola Blackwell as Debbie Wilkinson, Janine Birkett as Billy's mother, Joe Renton as Gary Poulson, Colin MacLachlan as Mr. Tom Wilkinson, Trevor Fox as PC Jeff Peverly, Charlie Hardwick as Sheila Briggs
Also starring: Greg Brenman, Jonathan Finn, Lee Hall