Smashing!

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2001)

'Kes' meets 'Brassed Off' meets 'Flashdance' ... but for all its derivativeness, 'Billy Elliot' manages to come up smelling as fresh as a great big bunch of dewy roses. A lot of it is down to some marvellous performances, notably the astonishing Jamie Bell (Oscar, where art thou?) but there is also excellent writing here: the relationship between Billy and his Dad requires double-strength Kleenex; setting the story at the time of the 1984 miners' strike is a master-stroke. But at the heart of the film's success is the glowing beacon of young Billy's ambition, drawing us to the most magnificent of conclusions. Every year British cinema comes up with a gem. This is the latest.