Review of Mao’s Last Dancer (2009) by Mike V — 15 Aug 2013

"Mao's Last Dancer" follows every possible Hollywood formula that it eventually gets tiring. The story is about a ballet dancer who grew up on a small farm in communist China and was chosen to be trained as a ballet dancer.

When he grows up, he is sent to the United States for a short amount of time. There, he falls in love and refuses to leave. I just wish the story did not overload on cheesiness and melodrama as if it needed it to survive.

Mao's life in communist China was fairly bias free but swayed to become one-sided sometimes. I enjoyed seeing someone strive for perfection and do anything to achieve it. That part is truly inspiring and makes Mao a very likable character.

After that, it was all once sided and typical Hollywood melodrama. I never fell for the relationship between Mao and the forgettable ballet dancer. The dance scenes are however sure to entertain since they were truly miraculous.

The differences between the US and China are clearly highlighted and sometimes funny. The acting was decent, but it was nothing exceptional nor horrible. Some scenes are very powerful like the one where Mao is imprisoned in the Chinese Embassy while his lawyer is held down by security.

The direction by Beresford is what is so wrong for the film which develops the hints of cheesiness found in the script."Mao's Last Dancer" is every bit as inspiring as it is cheesy and bland yet it is filled with some terrific dance routines.