Rebel With A Tune.

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2007)

This is a sort of BIG BILLY ELLIOTT movie. Very familiar and yet very entertaining dance school pic has the awesomely charismatic Channing Tatum there to anchor it to the screen. Looking like the love child of James Dean and Josh Hartnett if that was possible, he has looks of both and solid acting skills... enough to overcome the hilarious Eminem 8 MILE nonsense first half complete with hugely over-sized toddler pants and silly hat scenes. Similar to any two reels of TAKE THE LEAD or CENTRE STAGE or HONEY and SAVED and STRICTLY BALLROOM and even Saturday NIGHT FEVER this is a FAME /Ballet school drama that is predictable in every scene, but because of Tatum stays watchable. The tiny-tot ballet scenes are hilarious. Can Tatum dance? Yes, and even seems to manage hip hop dance athletics. He was a standout in the lite teeny SHE'S THE MAN at another school and survived the dire drivel of GUIDE TO RECOGNISING YOUR SAINTS... and I welcome any new pic I see his name. Hopefully the 'action producers' can keep guns from his hands and let him develop into a major male star in romantic and music dramas. He is better than being shunted into cop pix and awful BLACKHAWK DOWN imitation pix. The dance numbers are energetic.. especially the blue shirt one in the middle of the film... the goofy romantic thing he is capable of is very appealing. The camera loves him and he has a solid male image excellent for new young adult films like this. Rachel Griffiths plays the thankless role of the headmistress of the school and she sleepwalks thru her role as if she filmed her scenes on a Monday after a day on the SIX FEET UNDER set. It's a Tatum pic this one and it works completely because of him. Terrific photography too. I really like this film and those above like it. It is a genre I enjoy and each time offers teen audiences values above explosions, arguments and squalor so prevalent in many new films.