Billy Elliot

This film was totally boring to me, being as I'm not from Yorkshire or in my mid 40's. Its the simple, non brain stimulating adventures of a boy discovering the world of ballet, with the obvious homophobic father.. "I'm not having mah boy being no poofta!". It's the depressing struggle of boring Northern suburban life and its been done before many times.. father loses job etc etc. Quite frankly its crap and dull. The acting from the wannabe ballet dancer was average, though but next to the Sixth Sense kid its poop. Julie Walters plays EXACTLY the same role as usual and I'm getting a little fed up of her now.."ooh I knowww" I know she can act but variation is good every once and a while, isnt it? Anyway.. its a feel good film to watch with your middle aged wife, in front of the fire with a nice bowl of soup.... when there's b***er all else on the box.

This is one of those really great dramas that only come around maybe once a year. This is my pick for the best drama of 2000. Filled with amazing characters, a great plot, and circumstances that seem too real, the wonderfully underplayed value of it takes precedence over anything set against it. There are some great performances here, so let's get to ‘em. Jamie Bell plays the lead role, in an astonishing performance. Amazing dance routines done in perfect sync, I can just imagine the time he had memorizing all the steps. A knockout performance, with some of the most dramatic scenes played out with perfect honesty and realism. Another notable performance comes from Julie Walters, who plays Mrs. Wilkinson, the dance instructor in the mining town where Billy lives. Once a great dancer but now forced to work in the bottom floor of a boxing hall, she plays her part wonderfully, showing the lack of compassion and jadedness without words but only through expressions, deep hurt lying beneath all that scorn, but love shining through as she sees Billy's true talent. Finally, performance wise, we have Gary Lewis, who plays Billy's father. With wonderful scenes that play themselves out with harsh reality, I never tire of seeing the hurt in his eyes when he sees that his little boy isn't going to be a boxer or a football player, but a dancer, then seeing him again with the love and appreciation for his dancing son. Some things must be experienced, and the deep hurt he carries about the death of his wife is one of those. Greatness all around. The one problem I did have with this movie is that it is first of all rated R. Why?! If it weren't for the few (and very effective) uses of the 'F' word, it would've gotten a PG-13 rating. It so strongly needs the 'F' word, yet it needs to be seen by a PG-13 audience! This is a move that truly should be shown to middle schoolers all over the country, showing that you should believe in yourself and no one else. Follow your dreams. Not only is this message not shoved down your throat (as some other movies shamelessly do), but it is done in such a way that you truly believe it. You want good things to happen, and you get that, but not spotless and clean. Nothing is done easily, and there will always be someone who will try and stop your dreams from coming true. Another (and the only other problem) are the accents. The British definitely have a style of speaking all their own, and it sometimes took a moment for all the dialogue to register. Sometimes I'd miss half a scene, trying to decipher out exactly what was said. However, the tones and emotions of most scenes were enough to let you know what was said. Everything didn't have to be spelt out, but I can imagine that after I get this DVD I will sit down with the captions on, just to know I didn't miss anything. This is one of the only complaints I have for another favorite of mine, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Billy Elliot is a true rag-to-riches story that unfolds amazingly well without pulling your heartstrings shamelessly as other movies love to do. I recommend this to all, expect to be entertained with great plot twists as well as interesting characters, wonderful dialogue, and a story that can never grow old: Follow your dreams.

With a seemingly run-of-the-mill storyline - that of an 11-year-old schoolboy wanting to be a ballet dancer - it is quite a feat to have made a movie as warm and entertaining as this. Quite simply, this is the best British movie in years. All the characters are intriguing, and the acting is flawless, most notably from 14-year-old Jamie Bell whose acting is utterly convincing, filled with humour and insight beyond his years. He is also a fantastic dancer, and some of the dance sequences are reminiscent of the dance-filled musicals of the old black and white movies. The backdrop of the historic miners' strike of the mid-1980s, it brings the story down to the earth and adds the necessary tension to make this film truly believable and a worthy story to tell. I find it hard to see how anyone would not like this film. 9 and a half out of 10.

source: Billy Elliot

Billy Elliot, a young boy discovers his passion for dancing in an English mining community that expects boys to behave like men all the time and perceives that ballet is only for females and gay men. The boy doesn't realize his talent without the help of his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson who sees him as a potential ballet dancer in the future, and believes that working in the mines like his father and brother will kill his dream. A delightful comedy with Billy's grandmother who still dreams that she can always be a professional dancer despite the circumstances that have forced her to live in that community, so it's her fate which she cannot escape. It's a great movie with lots of beautiful and unforgettable moments between Billy and his family and friends.

Excellent film. I don't think it's anything sensational, but there's no doubting 'Billy Elliot' tackles key issues and comes out with flying colours in that regard. Everything there makes you truly care for the titular character. Billy is played by Jamie Bell, who gives a fantastic performance. Julie Walters is great too, portraying Sandra. Gary Lewis and Jamie Draven are also notable for their work here, even if their characters are a little too one-dimensional for the majority. The plot is terrific and told in a superb way, with impressive cinematography. The only thing I'm not sold on is the dialogue, which is odd in parts; particularly with Billy and Debbie (Nicola Blackwell). I appreciate they don't patronise the children, but it's too far the other way with some of the speech; too forced to sound like an adult. Nonetheless, it's a brilliant film and one you should definitely watch.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs With Billy Elliot,I expected some Full Monty style tale of the miner's strike ,and a young boy realising his dreams against the backdrop of this,which had a lot of classy,memorable '80's tunes to it.Instead,it was more of a bland and straightforward affair.Half the tracks I heard were from the '70's,not the '80's (especially the many T-Rex intervals),and not much is really looked into the miner's.Instead,a lot was focused on Billy's growing relationship with his ballet teacher,and cross dressing friend,which were quite good,but made the film more delving than light hearted and fun,which was what I was hoping it would be like.In fact,Billy's ballet teacher and overbearing father were the main great things about the film.***

I was not impressed by this movie's trailer but I actually liked it quite a bit when I started watching it. The story is captivating and the acting was great. An 11 year old boy stumbles upon a ballet class and immediately gets fascinated by it. He joins the ballet class and must go through a lot of resistance from his family's who has a another set of ways. This boy must struggle to get his way and is indeed very talented. A very touching story which makes one think about the choices you make in life and how to make your own way towards the things you want to do. This movie is definitely worth to watch.

The film is very slow and lower budget. I do like the idea of the story, it's entertaining to watch a struggling kid fight to dance; but the way it was written/depicted was very boring and slightly weird. Not to mention that this is a British film, the actors have very heavy accents making it difficult to understand if you're not used to the British language. I enjoyed the dancing scenes and wished they would have had more of Billy dancing. The one nice thing about the film was the ending; I find the movie finally started to pick up a bit at the end, leaving you with a decent feeling when the film was over.

BILLY ELLIOT (2000) ** Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, Gary Lewis, Jamie Draven, Nicola Blackwell, Stuart Wlls, Adam Cooper, Jean Heywood. Overrated feel-good, emotions manipulator about a young English boy (Bell in a nice debut) who overcomes his surroundings (circa 1984's coal-striking setting) and family struggles to embark on a life as a balllet dancer with help from his tough-talking instructor (Walters). Predictable and a bit pretentious even though there is some fancy footwork on display and a change of heart turn by Lewis as Billy's hard-headed dad and the nice, throat catching moments with his addled grandmother . Good despite its premise directorial debut by theatrical director Stephen Daldry.