You'll gasp, laugh, cry and cheer

Rating: Null/10 (8 October 2000)

British film got back on its feet over the previous twenty years with classic hits in all different shapes and styles. These were films like Gregory's Girl, Chariots Of Fire, Gandhi and more recently Brassed Off, The Full Monty and Little Voice. Now in 2000, there's Billy Elliot. Critics especially have fallen for the film - the story of a boy's dream to pursue his hobby of ballet dancing during the 1984 miners strike. The public of course have also been lured into Billy's adventure and few of them will leave the theatres, or in the future their televisions, without some expression or felling of awe and astonishment.
We always welcome the 'underdog' story and that the films that use it rarely fail to strike a chord with cinemagoers. And, the underdogs haven't always been adults, Billy Elliot isn't the first child on the big screen up against all the odds. But what makes this film different has to be the passion and utter realism - what we're seeing really did happen - and somehow we fell drawn into Billy's effort to defy those undermine in his destiny and stand in his path. It is a film which helps us in our fight in our own battles.
It isn't purely a cinematic experience of course. But if you wish to re-live the magic and spirit of all your favourite movies and in the way that you done them, pop along to the flickers for a proper cinema outing.