Perfect Timing

Sweet timming

Okay, so young Danny actually takes samba lessons (maybe they just couldn't find as good an alliteration) but apart from that, this isn't so bad. There's a John Hughes-y atmosphere about the proceedings (and Hughes gets a thanks in the credits) and while the characters are for the most part cartoony (the bullying snob of a boyfriend and his unbearable mother; the nouveau-riche dad who remembers his roots; the necessary line-up of goofy sidekicks - why do lead characters never have completely ordinary friends?), they are played with honesty and charm. The soundtrack is a nice mix of styles, from Cuban to Irish pop. But the climactic dance scene is poorly done; after seeing numerous "Dirty Dancing"-style montages of the characters practicing, and stumbling, and trying again, it would have been nice to see them in full glory as they present the results of their hard work. Instead, there's a jumble of quick editing and close-ups that make it hard to tell what they're doing. Still, a harmless and enjoyable chick flick.

I don't know why everyone is so negative about this film. We just saw it on video and I really liked it. OK, so I don't know that much about dancing and what is what but apart from some cringe moments (like at the competition), I really really liked it!! Really good feel-good movie... My fav parts are when they dance in the pool and the final end dance.. ;o) He shows a lot of emotion and I guess it just brought me back to those highschool crushes.. those moments when it was just so.. wow... ;o)Really inspired us to take up dancing lessons again.. anyway, just a really fun feel-good movie and that fashion-concious friend was wonderful!! Maybe I just haven't been around enough Irish but I thought the accents were OK.. at least we could actually understand them!!

Mad About Mambo may have a cliche plot but it its a good one! Its rolled romance, comedy, finding your path and two sports into a great film! William Ash played his football obsessed, girl chasing character charmingly and left quite a good impression. His film friends were also quite funny. Keri Russell seen on Felicity, played her out to prove worthy character well also. Showing she does have quite an ability - of acting & dancing! Go Keri! Other notable efforts where of Keri Russell's film father, her boyfriend's mother, William Ash's principle, coach, mother and their dance instructor. After seeing this independent film the girls may even get into soccer as the boys may even get into dancing!! A great film and a good laugh - see it.

I am usually sick of movies like this one, but for some reason, I was a bit entertained by this one. Maybe (as someone already mentioned) because it reminded me of my days back to high school. Who knows? I think that the story is a bit different than in other movies with the similar content. For example, I expected that it would be a classic love-teenage-sweet story (or whatever), and that they would just appear in the competition and win it. But I was completely wrong, and was a bit surprised with what happened at the competition. I agree about the most comments regarding poor dancing, Latino music etc, but I am not a big fan of all these things so that I didn't care much about it. Another thing that I liked, and that differs from the stereotype, is the place - Belfast, and lack of glamour and high-class houses, expensive cars, etc (except very few scenes). In summary, I give 7 to this movie, although it might be too high and not fair comparing to some other really great movies. But again, who cares. Cheers.

Maybe the film is too European, because of the football and the cry out of social and political problems but, one thing's for sure, there is very little mambo, or none at all, in this movie. There was plenty of "salsa" and other modern "Latino" music in it, though. Maybe most of the world think that when you talk about mambo or salsa, you can put it all in the same box and say "It's all Latino music". There you are, missing the real concept. The movie was supposed to have told the story of a young footballer, wanting to improve his game by taking lessons of "samba", music originated in Brasil, but unfortunately the samba gets mixed up with the word mambo, and then mixed again with some "buenos días". How long is it going to take filmmakers to realise that it's very easy to find out the differences between different countries, cultures and music.

I watched this movie wanting (and expecting) to see some great dancing and hear some great Mambo tunes. Instead, I fear I fell victim to utterly false advertising. Where, I ask, WHERE? in this movie is the great Mambo music and dancing that is implied by the title and the box cover??! The story, while thankfully nice and sweet, is nevertheless so lame I couldn't believe somebody could have concocted such a stupid story. I thought it was supposed to be about Mambo, and a dance contest, all wrapped up in a great love-interest kind of story. Well, all that is in there, but the movie, set in Belfast, Ireland, seems to spend most of its time lightly frittering about with boys' soccer, Catholic-Protestant rivalry, soccer, Belfast politics, more soccer, young men with hang-ups, and more soccer. Oh yeah, and there's a dance contest thrown in there somewhere. And then there's a dance finale that is so lame I had to stifle the painful laughter. And it even takes place…(drum roll please…) at halftime during a SOCCER competition!! The dancing (what pathetically little there is) is so minimal and simplistic it looks like it's just a guy and a girl doing a couple of whirls around the dance floor while wearing fancy costumes and lots of makeup. Big Deal! The soundtrack music – with the possible exception of only a couple of Latino-sounding numbers (was that really even Mambo music??) – is just not at all what the title implied (in fact some of the music sounds more like modern Americanized or Hollywoodized pop tunes). Heck, they don't even have much Irish music thrown in (methinks the movie could have used a rousing rendition of Whiskey in the Jar, "Blackball the Daddy-O!"). Kerri Russell (as Lucy) is okay, I guess… but maybe I'm only giving her the benefit of the doubt because I liked her so VERY much in one of her earlier films, "The Lottery". But in this film, where she attempts to portray a young Irish woman, well… her Irish accent seems at times very ineffective, almost clumsy. And I'm not sure why they needed to give this part to an American girl anyway. Really, do you mean to tell me that there aren't scores of beautiful young Irish actresses who could have played this part instead? As mentioned above, based on the nature of the movie, there certainly isn't a dauntingly formidable dancing or acting requirement, so I don't think it would have required an endless search for the right lass. Oh well, stupid me, what do I know about the mysteries of casting? Anyway, I can't recommend this movie to anyone, with the possible exception of young teenagers who have absolutely no sense of music or dance appreciation, and who can't tell the difference between a real Irish brogue and a phony one - and who furthermore don't care. As for me, I CARE about getting real value for my entertainment dollar, and I'm sorry to say, I truly feel ripped off by this rather lame and (IMHO) falsely promoted movie. (And no, Seattle isn't really the Mambo capital of the world. I just thought that would sound funny. And besides, I'm tired of Grunge.)

Not since Strictly Ballroom have I seen such a brilliant movie based around the dancing scene. Sure, predictable as any teen movie made in the last 10 years, but a cast that should all be awarded, as well as a crew who have done themselves proud.

While I didn't expect this movie to get Godfather-like voting, I was so disappointed over the comments and the overall mark, that I felt the need to write a comment myself (which I usually never bother) Many comments have pointed out that the title is misleading (no mambo in the film, only samba and rumba), the dancing is not top-notch, the storyline is typical (poor boy meets rich girl) and many characters are stereotype. Nevertheless the movie is very sweet and touching. Both lead characters are adorable, the acting is overall good, most jokes are funny (albeit some over the top) and the idea of the film, a romantic comedy combining soccer and Latin dancing, set in grey and politically unstable Belfast, is pretty original. As for the dancing, we can see some beautiful legs and dresses and Keri Russell doing a decent job, while the level fits the reality of a couple where one part has only taken up lessons recently. In line with the story, the dance scenes are more about relationship than excellence. I found some of the characters to be very original, too (Rudi, Mickey). I lived in Ireland for three years and got all nostalgic about the setting, the all-boys-schools, the typical Irish lads and the accents, so maybe I am biased. But still, Danny's and Lucy's pool dance was more romantic and touching than any scene in Dirty Dancing (which I love, by the way).

Just revisited this film some 16 years after release. The ongoing success of The Americans made me curious as to how it would hold up: 1. If you want better dance and music, pick Flashdance. 2. If you want a better story, pick Dirty Dancing. 3. At the end of the day, the "hidden ground" in these sorts of Romcoms is that the female audience should (ideally) end up in love with the male lead, and vice versa. On this basis, the movie works. Russell never looked better. While her accent proves elusive in several scenes, her natural grace and movement is mesmerizing. 4. While possibly not among the top Romcoms of all times, could possibly be one of the top Keri Russell films in the IMDb archive.