Romance, Tension, and Violence--Oh, My!

Rating: 8/10 (28 January 2001)

This film had all three of the above elements. I'm impressed that they showed that ballet dance takes work, including the bloody toes from the toe shoes. I'm also impressed that they showed a lot of the aspects of inner city life, not just the stereotypical ones. That's very unusual in these types of movies. The movie wasn't just about dance. It wasn't just about romance. It dealt with the entire environment and all its nuances. That's an awful lot to cram into one movie without getting distracted on tangents, but somehow, the writers and actors did it.
The acting in this movie was excellent. The male protagonist had a winning smile and personality, and you wanted him to succeed at everything he sought to achieve. The female protagonist refused to give in to the sorrow that life had given her, which made you want to see her get where she should be.
I would go see it again, but only if I knew someone who hadn't already seen it.