Review of Billy Elliot (2000) by Mark B — 07 Feb 2010

We've all seen this theme before. A child favors an activity that his family deems inappropriate for gender, religious, or cultural reasons. In Billy Elliot, it's an English lad who falls in love with dancing. He's a natural, too. Problem is, his dad and brother, both tough as nails union miners, will have none of it. But Billy pushes on until and, with the help of a persistent dance teacher, finds the fulfillment he was looking for.

This is a powerful film, thanks in large part to the emotional, tightly wound performance of one of my favorite young actors, Jamie Bell. I'm no fan of any kind of dance, but Bell's explosive scenes, where the dance numbers seemingly just erupt from within, are fantastic. Bell has that rare ability to enable us to feel his angst. Bell may be somewhat one dimensional, but when he is cast correctly, he nails it, as he does here.

This is a gritty film, with little color or humor. The soundtrack, however, is terrific, with great stuff by T-Rex, The Jam, and The Clash.

Billy Elliot compares favorably to other films in the genre - Bend it Like Beckham and School of Rock come to mind. "Billy" is a meatier, more substantial meal than the others. It steers clear of humor, and chooses to inspire instead. And that's good thing.