Good

Rating: 8/10 (16 December 2000)

A movie with characters and a story that you can imagine to be real. To begin with the bad, the story is a bit simple at some points. I find it difficult to express what I mean because English is not my native language. Cliché would be to harsh a word. Perhaps an example: When a certain ballet was to appear in the plot, did it have to be most famous off all times, Swan Lake?
But overall I liked the movie so much that I tend to think this is perhaps just the amount of simplification or even cliché you have to do in a movie. Maybe it is difficult to capture more of real life in a movie without getting to complicated or boring.
I liked very much the way the characters appeared like real people. They aren't rich, they have problems that remain unsolved, they even dare to look ugly on the screen. Watch the way young Billy's dancing looks clumsy most times, though the whole movie is about his talent to become a dancer. But this is just what you would expect in an eleven years old boy. It looks true. I felt the same about several other British movies of the recent years, for example Trainspotting or The Full Monty. I like that style. It is a pleasant contrast to the endless stream of Hollywood productions where every one looks as if he or she had just stepped out of a fashion advertisement.
Though I have complained above about weaknesses of the story, it has still well enough interesting parts. Watch the way Billy reacts to the homosexual feelings that his friend Michael has towards him. I think the acting of both boys is quiet good.
To me it was a touching movie, particularly the way Billy's father and brother respect Billy's wishes although at first they seem to treat him rough. I admit the ending brought some tears into my eyes. An 8 and a movie I would like to see again.