Review

Review Date: 26-June-05
Spoiler Rating: Low
Juju Judgment: Juicy

Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)

At first, there's something odd about the notion of kids doing ballroom dance. The joy of children dancing is their lack of inhibition, their ignorance of adult embarrassment and disregard for the very social restraint that defines a fox trot or a tango. But in today's world, where inhibition disappears at a very early age, can a formal but still exuberant sort of physical expression serve as a bridge to adulthood? Is the structure of ballroom dance exactly what some children need? The documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom" poses these questions as it follows three teams of fifth graders preparing for a dance contest in New York. One might wish the movie explored such questions and their answers more fully, but it's a captivating and unique story nevertheless.

The subjects of the film hail from a mix of urban neighborhoods, with the underdog favorites coming from Washington Heights, where 97 percent of families live at or below the poverty level. As with the movie's thematic predecessor, "Spellbound," there are myriad stories to be told about the struggles and ambitions of the kids and their parents, and about how a seemingly trivial competition can affect their lives dramatically. Unfortunately, first-time filmmakers Amy Sewell and Marilyn Agrelo don't delve deep enough into these stories, meting out bits of insight at sporadic and often ill-timed moments and ultimately painting a portrait that doesn't appear to be finished.

But despite the limitations of the documentary as a social or biographical piece, "Mad Hot Ballroom" succeeds because its subject matter is almost fail-proof. Fifth graders are just plain cute and ballroom dancing is just plain fun to watch. Whatever one might think about the adults in the picture (the sappy teacher, the tough-love coach, the father figure who's also a hottie), you'd have to be made of stone not to enjoy the toe-tapping soundtrack while watching the kids master their ungainly bodies and pour their little hearts into ideals of achievement and triumph. Surely everyone who sees this movie will fall for Wilson with the dreamboat eyes and charisma to spare; I was also smitten with Cyrus, the Bob Dylan look-alike from Tribeca, and Michael, the Brooklyn philosopher who dispenses wisdom on love, marriage, and the female sex while playing a mean game of foosball. (The girls are most memorable for being so grown up, shackled already with the impending weight of pregnancy, deadbeat boyfriends, and the challenge of finding a suitable husband.) And by the end, gosh darnit, most of them really can dance.

Sadly, some kids must lose so that others may win (also sadly, winning seems to boil down to who looks the best and most mature), and the movie doesn't propound the truism that doing one's best is all that matters. This is part of the serious side of life that "Mad Hot Ballroom" acknowledges but doesn't examine, and it's not what most people will remember about the film. Instead, they'll think fondly of the students keeping lips smiling, arms framing, hips turning, and feet flying, having fun and getting older as kids are wont to do.

Copyright © 2005 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.