Review of Mao’s Last Dancer (2009) by Joey K — 02 Oct 2009
One of those feel-good films that pleases almost everyone, 'Mao's Last Dancer' is a real life autobiographical tale of a poor Chinese boy selected to be a danseur by the Communist Chinese government in the 70s.
His immense talent and persistence allows him to be taken to the US for a three-month stay to further his training, but when he decides not to return to his homeland, a political imbroglio erupts between the US and China.
Eventually, he is forced never to return to China and never to see his peasant family again. It's a typical Hollywood film with a happy ending but the dancing is phenomenal and it is a surprise to see it was filmed in China as well as the US and Australia.
The politics of the film is a bit simplistic (that is, good versus evil, US versus China, capitalism versus communism), but there are enough feel-good moments of humour and joy to make it thoroughly entertaining.
This review of Mao’s Last Dancer (2009) was written by Joey K on 02 Oct 2009.
Mao’s Last Dancer has generally received positive reviews.
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