Jagged As A Chunk Of Coal: No Smooth Edges

Rating: 5/10 (27 July 2006)

Perhaps you're surprised to see me score this no more than 5 stars. I admit, I came to this film expecting to be wowed. I found it uneven in the extreme.
The performances by Jamie Bell (Billy, the kid), Gary Lewis (Jackie, the Dad), and Julie Walters (dance instructor) in acting are very good, and Jamie's dance routine has all the verve and lack of polish one might hope to see in a novice dancer with raw talent.
Raw, maybe that's it. The language was hardly what I'd wish to expose my children to, although I understand how a Brit swears better than most Yankees. It was appalling and ubiquitous.
The soundtrack nearly drove me away. One must listen closely to the poorly miked dialogue, which is heavily inflected with the Lower Scots influence of the northern coalfields. Suddenly we're nearly blasted out of the room by pop tunes, as thumpy in their delivery as they are redundant in their lyrics.
I found myself wondering why the screenplay didn't convey more of the attraction to Billy of the power and beauty of dance. I can think of half a dozen ways that might be accomplished. If I can do that, why not those responsible for producing/writing/directing it?
Then there are the blithe bawdiness of "Debbie," the repressed daughter of the dance teacher, and the confused and pitiful antics of "Michael," "Billy's" buddy. These blur the focus of the narrative rather than sharpen it.
If you haven't yet seen this, be prepared for some shining parts to an otherwise lowbrow approach to the lure and reward of the arts.