Billy Elliot

Plot synopsis:
In 1984, Billy Elliot, an 11-year-old from the fictional Everington in County Durham, England, loves to dance and has hopes of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Billy lives with his widowed father, Jackie, and older brother, Tony, both coal miners out on strike (the latter being the union bully), and also his maternal grandmother, who has Alzheimer's disease and once aspired to be a professional dancer.
Billy's father sends him to the gym to learn boxing, but Billy dislikes the sport. He happens upon a ballet class that is using the gym while their usual basement studio is temporarily being used as a soup kitchen for the striking miners. Unknown to Jackie, Billy joins the ballet class. When Jackie discovers this, he forbids Billy to take any more ballet. But, passionate about dancing, Billy secretly continues lessons with the help of his dance teacher, Sandra Wilkinson.
Mrs. Wilkinson believes Billy is talented enough to study at the Royal Ballet School in London, but due to Tony's arrest during a skirmish between police and striking miners, Billy misses the audition. Mrs. Wilkinson tells Jackie about the missed opportunity, but fearing that Billy will be considered to be gay, both Jackie and Tony are outraged at the prospect of him becoming a professional ballet dancer.
Over Christmas, Billy learns his best friend, Michael, is gay. Although Billy is not, he is supportive of his friend. Later, Jackie catches Billy dancing in the gym and realises his son is truly gifted; he resolves to do whatever it takes to help Billy attain his dream. Mrs. Wilkinson tries to persuade Jackie to let her pay for the audition, but he replies that Billy is his son and he does not need charity. Jackie attempts to cross the picket line to pay for the trip to London, but Tony stops him. Instead, his fellow miners and the neighbourhood raise some money and Jackie pawns Billy's mother's jewelry to cover the cost, and Jackie takes him to London to audition. Although very nervous, Billy performs well, but he punches another boy in frustration at the audition, fearing that he has ruined his chances of attaining his dream. He is sternly rebuked by the review board, but when asked what it feels like when he is dancing, he describes it as being "like electricity". Seemingly rejected, Billy returns home with his father. Sometime later, the Royal Ballet School sends him a letter telling him he has been accepted, and he leaves home to attend.
Fourteen years later, Billy takes the stage to perform the Swan in Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, as Jackie, Tony, and Michael watch from the audience.

Tags: dramatic, violence, cute, humor, inspiring, entertaining, sentimental

Review:
Billy Elliott is a moving, uplifting, and often exuberant, drama about motherless young Billie (Jamie Bell) fulfilling his dream of becoming a ballet dancer, in the process overcoming the objections and prejudices of his father and brother (Gary Lewis and Jamie Draven).It is also a piece of magic realism, with political overtones.
By setting their near fairy tale in the context of a close-knit mining community, and more specifically against the backdrop of the 1984/5 miners' strike - a defining moment of modern British economic and social history - writer Lee Hall and director Stephen Daldry are able to refer to gender and class issues, without turning their work into a political tract, and without losing focus on the central human drama.The film is realised near flawlessly.
The scenes of violence between strikers and police are presented uncompromisingly and authentically, but with the occasional touch of humour.Julie Walters provides an outstanding performance as Mrs Wilkinson, the dancing teacher who recognises and fosters Billie's talent; and helps him resist his own and his family's inhibitions.
To we outsiders watching the movie, Mrs Wilkinson appears as an integral part of the local community; but it is made clear that in the mid-80s, as far as Billie's family and friends are concerned, she is a middle class outsider, almost as alien as another species.One issue which the film tackles head-on is traditional heterosexual male abhorrence of homosexuality.
I heard that it should be very good or even excellent film and another reason for watching it was that I have seen several Working Title films before (About a Boy, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and I found all of them much more sincere and emotional than average Hollywood products.
Also these British films have something to offer that you rarely can find in Hollywood movies: a charming heartwarming mixture of sweet and funny comedy and inspiring and touching drama.
Billy Elliot in my opinion Billy Elliot is a brilliant movie, easily one of the best movies of the year and most likely of the current decade.Director of the movie Stephen Daldry brought to us an exceptional, truly inspiring and moving, emotional and poignant movie.
But the fact is that such stereotypes are not invented by the director of the movie and if you would try to learn more about this terrific picture you will found that Jamie Bell, who took dance lessons from age six, suffered from similar sneers and taunts.
Several brilliant come scenes and bright humor greatly emphasize the struggles of the main hero.Jamie Bell playing Billy has on of the best performances ever among young actors.
He is also a fantastic dancer, and some of the dance sequences are reminiscent of the dance-filled musicals of the old black and white movies.The backdrop of the historic miners' strike of the mid-1980s, it brings the story down to the earth and adds the necessary tension to make this film truly believable and a worthy story to tell.I find it hard to see how anyone would not like this film.
For a film that is in essence a feel good coming of age drama it is mightily impressive that the film never veers down that street known as sickly boulevard.Set against the grim backdrop of the English Coal Miners strikes the film tackles an array of subjects, class struggles, fear of homosexuality, youthful adventure in discovering potential adulthood, and the universal joy that music and dance can bring to us all, even in the most trying of circumstances.
So many great scenes here that are both happy and sad, Billy's father feels he has to break the strike to give Billy a chance in life, this leads to a truly heartbreaking scene between him and his eldest son, I weep unashamedly at the realism of it all, the dancing is just wonderful, with too many great scenes to only pick just one out, the film is a seamless classic that ticks every box that I personally require from a film like this.The cast are magnificent, Jamie Bell perfectly layers the lead role of Billy by fusing confusion, joy, fear, hope, and sorrow into one almighty performance.
A knockout performance, with some of the most dramatic scenes played out with perfect honesty and realism.Another notable performance comes from Julie Walters, who plays Mrs. Wilkinson, the dance instructor in the mining town where Billy lives.
Once a great dancer but now forced to work in the bottom floor of a boxing hall, she plays her part wonderfully, showing the lack of compassion and jadedness without words but only through expressions, deep hurt lying beneath all that scorn, but love shining through as she sees Billy's true talent.
With wonderful scenes that play themselves out with harsh reality, I never tire of seeing the hurt in his eyes when he sees that his little boy isn't going to be a boxer or a football player, but a dancer, then seeing him again with the love and appreciation for his dancing son.
This is one of the only complaints I have for another favorite of mine, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.Billy Elliot is a true rag-to-riches story that unfolds amazingly well without pulling your heartstrings shamelessly as other movies love to do.
Billy Elliot is a wonderful story of a young boy overcoming obstacles to participate in the one activity that takes him away from his troubled family life.
Since I am only young, I haven't experienced much in my life, while I am growing and I discovering new feelings and this movie has triggered oneit's become apart of me.Showing that he came from a poor and broken family, and relished in his dream to become a ballet dancer and escape his born destiny to become a minerit's just unbelievable.Since I come from a wealthy family, with so many opportunities around me, it made me think about what I am taking for granted, this movie has changed me-- since Friday night I have watched it about 6 times over and over again.
We've finally been given a film with a good, almost mythic story, complicated yet believable characters, a masterful blend of emotional intensity and critical restraint, and a series of dance scenes that are authentic, inspiring and completely integral to the plot.No wonder critics have been falling over themselves in heaping praise on Billy Elliot.
We've finally been given a film with a good, almost mythic story, complicated yet believable characters, a masterful blend of emotional intensity and critical restraint, and a series of dance scenes that are authentic, inspiring and completely integral to the plot.No wonder critics have been falling over themselves in heaping praise on Billy Elliot.
I sometimes wonder how the movie would have been done by Hollywood: Billy would have been made a more pathetic figure; the people in his life rendered more black and white; characters would have either remained caricatures, or made to develop in the blink of an eye.
I sometimes wonder how the movie would have been done by Hollywood: Billy would have been made a more pathetic figure; the people in his life rendered more black and white; characters would have either remained caricatures, or made to develop in the blink of an eye.
"Billy Elliot" caught some attention however because it combines the dream-like fancy-free spirit of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers films along with the social-historical context of the '80s coal miner strike in England.
Youthful optimism and social reality are at odds as seen through the young Billy (a very talented Jamie Bell) and the film doesn't let either one completely win out, an admirable and unexpected quality for a story about a child.Pre-teen Billy lives in a small England town where his father (Gary Lewis) and brother (Jamie Draven) are picketing as part of the coal miner's strike, so money is scarce.
Despite his father's disapproval at his son taking up a "girl's" activity, Billy meets regularly with Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters) to prepare for the Royal Ballet School audition.The feature film debut for both writer Lee Hall and director Stephen Daldry, "Billy Elliot" is a real triumph of art imitating life.
Scenes are intercut often to show how Billy's drive to master ballet is indicative of a need for self-discovery, family approval and learning how to handle life's challenges.With a soundtrack mixing '70s English rock band T-Rex with classical music and orchestration by 1999 Oscar-winning composer Stephen Warbeck, "Billy Elliot" takes on this true independent spirit.
Billy's cross-dressing friend is there to remind us that one thing is not connected to the other, but the film doesn't waste time overdramatizing this small conflict in a greater story."Billy Elliot" is a special film, one that perfectly fits the magic of finding one's passion within the troubles of real life and a cast that accurately reflects that vision from Daldry and Hall.
Brisk and sprightly movie about a little boy growing up in a working-class English village who wants to train for ballet, much to the displeasure of his dad.Jamie Bell gives a tremendous performance as Billy, an angry youngster who doesn't understand why he should be ashamed of something he loves, particularly since that something gives him a means of expression for his juvenile frustration and anger.
The story is about finding beauty in the world, finding it despite the chaos and conformity that surrounds youth.Billy, through the course of the movie, struggles to find his own direction in life at a very young age.
It's quite easy to understand this because of the choices of setting and character made for the sake of the story.Billy is relatively young, making him subject to the pressures of his father and older brother.
It's absolutely undeniable that Jamie Bell has greatly acted and delivered a very charismatic performance, evoking laughters and tears at the same time; Billy Elliot works his way up to success after giving through the hardest times and situations a child could live in.
At the end of the movie we see Billy in a dance recital and his brother and father watching him proudly.It takes a lot for outsiders to think he wasn't gay.
Billy Elliot is a film for those people who have faced or face problems in choosing what is good for them.Young minds are at a loss to decide for themselves as they have neither knowledge nor experience to opt for whatever that is good for them.For them, it is not so easy to make a choice as there are times when they have to take into consideration the feeling of others around them.This is some kind of a universal phenomenon but for most young boys it is sometimes difficult to choose dance instead of boxing.This might be because boxing is a symbol of strong male character whereas dance is mostly associated with feminine world.This is precisely the case in the life of our film's young protagonist named Billy Elliot.With this film British director Stephen Daldry has succeeded in revealing the feminine aspects of young boys.
Why filmmakers have to constant push their gay agendas on the movie public, you'd have to ask them.Anyway, the good points are (1) the film is never boring; always entertaining; (2) it's nicely filmed, looking great on DVD; (3) the lead kid "Billy Elliott" (Jamie Bell) is a likable lad and an excellent actor; (4) the guy who played his father (Gary Lewis) was also good, playing an intense character; (5) the music and dancing were good and I enjoyed the Fred Astaire and Lord Of The Dance-type numbers (which I prefer over ballet, anyway).Other negatives included : 1 - an unlikeable dance teacher "Mrs. Wilkinson" (Julie Waters), who was too hard-edged (profane, cigarette dangling from her mouth); 2 - too much profanity in general in this film (way too many f-words, kids using the Lord's name in vain, etc.); 3 - Billy, although likable, talks back too much to adults and has a bad mouth; 4 - Billy's father and brother (Jamie Draven) with exaggerated roles as the ultra-macho stereotypes..
Vividly edited and briskly plotted, we follow young Billy as he fumbles his boxing lessons and discovers ballet during the great miner's strikes in the 80s.The inevitable tension that develops between Billy and his father is played out among a cast of memorable characters: Billy Fane's appearance as the seedy, misanthropic piano player is brief but hilarious; Julie Walters' rendition of the chain-smoking ballet teacher is simply iconic.The depth and detail in this movie evoke countless bittersweet images: the way Billy's gritty neighbourhood is framed so as to show the majestic and tranquil sea in the distance, glistening with Olympian indifference; the menacing, surreal omnipresence of authority in the form of the British police force; the dignified despair of a town library which has been relegated to a mobile home.Unprepossessed, humorous and genuinely moving..
I found the character of Billy Elliot extremely funny and cute, and was happy to see that after so many trials and tribulations with his family, especially his father, they stood by him in the end and allowed him to achieve his dream.
Billy Elliot is the story of a young lad from the North-East of England in the early 1980s whose Mother has passed away and is being brought up by his Father & Brother.
The one involving Billy Elliot's quest to be a great dancer and the other involves his father and brother's struggle with their labour jobs in the midst of a miner's strike.
I felt almost every emotion possible watching this movie and director Stephen Daldry along with writer Lee Hall have made the most artistic looking film about the arts since Scott Hicks' 'Shine' in 1996.
Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) is, in my eyes, the best new comer of the year 2000 and Julie Walters performance as ballet teacher is brilliant.
It has virtually all of the elements of what I expect in a fine film: great characters played with care by wonderful actors cast appropriately, a great director (in his first major effort), a moving plot set off by a number of very strong subplots, a striking new leading actor (and superb dancer) in the person of young Jamie, a gritty realism nicely moderated by fine touches of humor, and so much more.
This is one of the best movies of the year.it is a beautiful told story about a boy who loves dancing, but is caught between his fathers wishes, his own and what people think.
Watch the way young Billy's dancing looks clumsy most times, though the whole movie is about his talent to become a dancer.
I think the acting of both boys is quiet good.To me it was a touching movie, particularly the way Billy's father and brother respect Billy's wishes although at first they seem to treat him rough.
I have also seen the musical version of the story but I didn't like it quite as much as the movie.The boy playing Billy is great and all the performances work very well in the film.
A very touching story which makes one think about the choices you make in life and how to make your own way towards the things you want to do.This movie is definitely worth to watch..
I just have one thing to say to director Stephen Daldry and all the actors and everyone else who worked on Billy Elliot: thanks for making this film!
If, on the other hand, you enjoy a feel-good movie with realistic characters, then Billy Elliot is the one for you.
`Billy Elliot,' one of 2000's best films, is far more than just the typical coming-of-age story.
`Billy Elliot' takes us back to that time in our lives  early adolescence - when we are just beginning to experience the manifold wonders of the world, when we are just beginning to explore those things which makes us feel good, and when we are just starting that long process of self-discovery that will ultimately define who we are and what we love.
The much lauded and nominated film "Billy Elliott" is a slice of life flick about an 11 year old English boy who, to the dismay of his motherless working class coal mining family, chooses ballet over boxing as a pastime.
Eventually Mrs Wilkinson decides Billy may be good enough for auditioning for the Royal Ballet School in London  but how can he do it without his father's permission?It seems that any British film that isn't rubbish gets hyped up and spread all over the place like the new Messiah.
They kept practicing, even harder then before.The best scene in the movie was Christmas night, Billy took his friend to he place that he dances at.
They kept practicing, even harder then before.The best scene in the movie was Christmas night, Billy took his friend to he place that he dances at.
At the end of the movie we see Billy in a dance recital and his brother and father watching him proudly.It is hard to overcome caring what other people think about you especially when you are young.
Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) has a difficult life by dealing with his harsh father (Gary Lewis), his mean brother (Jamie Draven) the death of his mother who he was very close to and living in a working class town who is not accepting of Billy's dance.
This film seems an extension of that: the lead (Jamie Bell, in a wonderfully nuanced young adult performance), is just a boy with a lot of energy who finds he's better at channeling it via dance than boxing (as his father would prefer).
whats on TV.....only one film....billy Elliot story of a ballet dancing boy.
A lot of people want change him to an other person he isn't, but Billy is pursuing all the time his greatness wish, to dance and go to a ballet school.