Billy Elliot
2000 Directed by Stephen Daldry
Synopsis
. Inside every one of us is a special talent waiting to come out. The trick is finding it.
Director Stephen Daldry delivers a social drama, comedy. A coal mining father from the north English town is in an economic crisis with his job while his son faces a search for his true identity as a ballet dancer with or without his fathers approval.
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"It's about the closure of the mines, a community ripped apart, but somehow they manage to soldier on through the magic of dance." That's not a bad précis but in point of fact it doesn't quite rise to that level even. The Geordie accents are a constant distraction, the rabble-rousing and violent miner's strikes led by open Stalinists in favour of an unsustainable status quo doesn't really tug at my sympathy chords, and the interplay of Billy (Jamie Bell) attempting to win over his father, Jackie (Gary Lewis), is not at all inspiring but somewhere closer to excruciating.
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Billy Elliot (the movie) begins with an adolescent boy jumping on his bed, striking various poses while in mid-air with this devilish grin plastered on his face. We are seeing joy. This is the type of happiness possible only to the very young. Older and more jaded humans are too experienced to allow themselves to be swept up in too much happiness. They realize that happiness usually comes with a price.
Billy Elliot (the character) is a Northern English pre-teen living in a single parent family. The year is 1984. His mother has died. His father earns a living as a miner but is on strike. He and Billy's older brother are fighting against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her…
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Makes me wish I could dance.
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Yes, this did make me tear up.
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Stephen Daldry can at times be the worst kind of director, one who strives more for manipulative technical flourishes than he does for genuine emotions drawn out of the characters and their situations. Recent films of his like Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and The Reader have shown him getting weaker with each new project, and even The Hours (a film which I actually liked) is another example that if there's one director out there who screams "awards bait" it's Daldry -- I hate that phrase, but if you need an example of it there isn't really a better place to look.
Billy Elliot was Daldry's first feature, and in many ways it is responsible for what became of the director.…
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The best Daldry film I've seen. Jamie Bell is fiery as hell in one of the most convincing child performances I've ever seen. Julie Walters is also fantastic. Packed with T-Rex songs that fit in well. Not sure how this works as a musical but now I'm interested.
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[Seen in 2000, not sure when, neglected to date stamp back then]
Because without stabilizing it's main character amidst a setting of a 1980's Thatcheresque coal strike, we never even have the notion to feel for Billy's (Bell) newfound search and destroy mission for an identity. Seems every character in the movie that's not Billy Elliot is entertaining, ranging from his instructor (Walters), her daughter, his overbearing father, his Union obsessed brother, his gay friend, the guy who runs the boxing club, some of the extras in the bottom left hand of the frame - it goes on and on. Some inspired moments which embody the phrase "parts greater than the whole" include an opening shot of Billy jumping in…
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An excellent, feel-good film. What makes "Billy Elliot" work so well is that it is a film that is perfect for children, and has a plot that would be used in a children's movie/TV show, but it isn't necessarily made for children. This is a "realistic" children's film, complete with believable dialogue (pre-teen cursing and all), and themes that are more complex than you'd find in a simpler family movie. But it all works and, while certainly a sad film at times, the movie remains fun and immensely enjoyable throughout. The performances are all strong, with Jamie Bell giving an incredible mature and thoughtful performance and Julie Walters almost stealing the film. The film also has a great soundtrack and uses the songs well. I, simply, loved this film.
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There are some very clever scenes showing young Billy's angst and equivocations. I also enjoyed the juxtaposition of the manly father and older brother with the questioned manliness of Billy. It's okay for the father to cry or sing with the boys, but it would be dreadful to be interested in ballet.
Billy's father learns to accept him, but still keeps his convictions. My favorite touch is as they walk up a hill, Billy keeps practicing moves, and his father tells him to knock is off and walk normal.
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This movie makes me happy
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A cute and well crafted little picture.
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Billy Elliot (the movie) begins with an adolescent boy jumping on his bed, striking various poses while in mid-air with this devilish grin plastered on his face. We are seeing joy. This is the type of happiness possible only to the very young. Older and more jaded humans are too experienced to allow themselves to be swept up in too much happiness. They realize that happiness usually comes with a price.
Billy Elliot (the character) is a Northern English pre-teen living in a single parent family. The year is 1984. His mother has died. His father earns a living as a miner but is on strike. He and Billy's older brother are fighting against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her…
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Billy Elliot is a joyful, beautiful film, with spectacular performances from everybody and a terrific script.
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Brillante drama de un sueño inalcanzable socialmente al que el protagonista supera y hace realidad.
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Make me cry of happiness!! I love when a movie make me feel like that... One of my favorites...