Youthful optimism and social reality are at odds as seen through the young Billy a very talented Jamie Bell and the film doesn't let either one completely win out, an admirable and unexpected quality for a story about a child. Julie Walters is up to her usual standard of greatness, whilst Gary Lewis as the father is nothing short of tremendous, they all can take a bow for making such a wonderful movie. This is about doing something you're passionate about, not a child's struggle with his gender identity. Bell achieves a convincing blendof adolescent bewilderment and defiance; if his dancing is not quite asgood as we might expect, the storyline explains this away by sayingthat at this early stage his attitude and drive are more important thanhis technique. Watching this in North America makes me homesick for the high standard of British films, including magnificent editing. This is one of the best movies I've seen recently and one that definitely shouldn't be missed by anyone that believes in following his or her dreams. Scenes are intercut often to show how Billy's drive to master ballet is indicative of a need for self-discovery, family approval and learning how to handle life's challenges.
Firstly, I liked the story, a young boy who wishes to ballet dance against the the backdrop of the 1984 miner's strike, it was a nice one and is likely to evoke some emotion. Since I am only young, I haven't experienced much in my life, while I am growing and I discovering new feelings and this movie has triggered one? I am now taking in my life? I'm not even going to tell about Julie Walters, brilliant as ever. There are also so many layers to the film. The movie is suitable for teens and it definitely is able to give some good lessons for them. I recommend this movie to every one. The intensity of the acting as well as that of the pictures, the discrepancy between the lost coal miners hopes and the subtle positivism ingrained in the stubborn boy, the subtle humor, all lack of arrogance. Where has shebeen since Educating Rita.
From very first moments of the movie my eyes were riveted to the screen and when the movie ended feelings and emotions overflowed me. This is one of the most precious movies of all the time. Only one schoolmate, closet-gay Michael Caffrey, encourages Billy's desire, aroused by the teacher, who judged him talented enough for private lesson, to train and try out for the world-renowned Royal Ballet audition. In conclusion, I loved this film. Every aspect of thismovie was well done: the acting was superb, the characters were complex butbelievable, but the cinematography alone takes the cake.
And second sounds even worse: all male ballet dancers are gays. He faces many trials and triumphs as he strives to conquer his family's set ways, inner conflict, and standing on his toes! The cameras look atthings from some very interesting and unusual views. Billy's dancing outburst scenes give the film the feel of a dance musical movie ala the Fred Astaire era of Hollywood, while his angry and emotionally withdrawn father as well as Billy's own fits of irrational anger ground the movie in the struggles that surround the Elliot family on a daily basis. I could go on for another hundred words. And what is the word? The boy who played Billy shouldget an award hands down for this movie. Its hard to believe this gets an R rating and movies like ScaryMovie get.
No wonder it's been holding its own in the box office despite being shown in a mere handful of theatres one-quarter to one- sixth as many as the big Hollywood blockbusters and despite its receiving hardly any promotion at the moment. And hey, who in a million years would choose boxing or wrestling over dance? The soundtrack is music gold, you can never have enough T-Rex in your life, ever, and I ask if there has ever been a more appropriate use of music than the use of The Jam's-Town Called Malice? It's quite easy to understand this because of the choices of setting and character made for the sake of the story. But the fact is that such stereotypes are not invented by the director of the movie and if you would try to learn more about this terrific picture you will found that Jamie Bell, who took dance lessons from age six, suffered from similar sneers and taunts. To we outsiders watching the movie, Mrs Wilkinson appears as anintegral part of the local community; but it is made clear that in themid-80s, as far as Billie's family and friends are concerned, she is amiddle class outsider, almost as alien as another species. They would be even more horrified if they realised that hisbest friend was discovering gay tendencies in himself. Widower Jackie Elliot and his firstborn, fellow miner Tony, take a dim view of 11 year-old second son Billy's poor record in boxing class, which worsens when they discover he sneakily transferred to the neighboring, otherwise girls-only-attended ballet class. First one is that ballet for girls, not for boys lads do football.
The performances paint the picture perfectly. In a stroke of inspired creativity, Billy dances when he feels it, when he needs to express emotions of anger or excitement or when he was something to prove. There is a big coalminers strike in the town but it's easy to see that it's also the hopeless strike. It isn't about a miners' strike in the mid-1980s. Jaime Bell is brilliant for a first-timer and his dance iswonderful. This movie moved me in ways that I never thought something could.
They are convincing and compelling renditions of the characters in this light, enjoyable drama. Wilkinson and his friend Michael, who is the same age as Billy and who found that he is possibly a gay. It acknowledges that with good comes bad and with reward and hard work comes nervousness and discomfort. I am blinded by the people around me about the depression and horrible taunts of people with limited needs. I sometimes wonder how the moviewould have been done by Hollywood: Billy would have been made a morepathetic figure; the people in his life rendered more black and white;characters would have either remained caricatures, or made to develop intheblink of an eye. I laughed in this movie and I cried too.
His dancing is honest and powerful, andverymasculine. Thank God again and, of course, thank the cast and all the staff! The hours was his 1st work I saw and that made me cry. To say that Billy Elliot is the best movie of 2000 is to damn it withfaintpraise, since this year's crop is pretty uninspiring. Little Jamie Bell has so much energy and charisma that it's just unbelievable. So he attends those ballet classes instead the boxing and there is nothing surprising that after a few weeks his father suddenly finds out that Billy didn't attend boxing and worst of all he is attending the ballet classes. Jamie Bell gives a really believable performance in the lead role, while Gary Lewis is marvellous as his dad. The buzz for Billy has been so positive that people sometimes come away disappointed that their lives haven't been changed.