Review of Billy Elliot (2000) by Adam S — 04 Jun 2012
This film could be so much more that it is. The story is sound, and fills all the criterion for a good drama film.
The acting is sublime, particularly from Gary Lewis. The entire cast put their all into this film.
The problem comes from the directing. Stephen Daldry is very good at picking projects, but all of his films could have been more than they ended up being, and they all appear tailored to English teachers, creating enough essay questions to keep the high school royalties flowing in, but never really answering them in a way that is satisfying to the audience.
Many topics are covered here - gender identity, the miner's strike, family values and pride, death of a loved one, homosexuality, and even young love is touched on.
Of all of them, only the growth in relationship between Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) and his father (Gary Lewis) is charming enough for a general audience to enjoy.
Don't get me wrong, a good film. But needs to be more.
This review of Billy Elliot (2000) was written by Adam S on 04 Jun 2012.
Billy Elliot has generally received very positive reviews.
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