Strictly Ballroom (PG, 1992)

In a "mockumentary" format featuring interviews with various characters, STRICTLY BALLROOM introduces viewers to the glamorous, sometimes absurd, and occasionally cutthroat world of competitive ballroom dance. Hotshot young dancer Scott Hastings causes a scandal by dancing steps of his own invention. His partner is outraged, the president of the Dance Federation is vindictive, and Scott's hyper-competitive mother is mortified. Scott, however, just wants to dance what's in his heart, and he finds an unexpected and at first undervalued ally in Fran, a novice dancer at his mother's studio. The plot is no less satisfying for being predictable. Fran ditches her glasses and her frumpy clothes and turns out to be as beautiful as she is talented. She gains in self-confidence what Scott loses in arrogance, and they evolve into perfect partners (both in dance and romance) just in time for the big competition.

More than a Cinderella story in tuxedos and sequins, this film balances successfully on a fine edge between farce and drama, keeping our sympathy for the characters while never neglecting the laughs. Plot twists abound, and Fran's wrong-side-of-the-tracks family turns out to know quite a bit about dance and about life. They teach the film's most important message: "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."

Director Baz Luhrman's eye for lush visual detail never fails, and the dance sequences are a treat. An understated but achingly romantic rumba to a Doris Day song stands out, as do some marvelous scenes with Fran's flamenco-dancing father. This is a feel-good movie with a keen comic edge, guaranteed to lift your spirits. Outrageous, visually delectable, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Studio: Buena Vista
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Cast: Bill Hunter, Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release: January 1, 1992
DVD release: March 19, 2002
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: comic violence, a few profanities and some mild vulgarity and sexuality.