Strictly Ballroom sets us in the high nerve environment of the Australian ballroom scene. We follow the chronicle of Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), who is a champion-caliber ballroom dancer that wants to bend ballroom tradition to fit into his unorthodox mold. He decides that he can be a better dancer by hilariously ?modifying? his dance steps, if you will. Fran (Tara Morice) scrounges up every ounce of courage trying to convince Scott to dance with her, ultimately being her partner. She is a new kid to the ballroom block, and the only reason Scott needs a partner is because his zany, newfangled ways made his other partner leave him. Couple that with the fact that his mother (Pat Thompson) and the Australian ballroom committee (who are determined that no new steps will be allowed) are bearing down on him, and it's quite a bind that Scott finds himself in! Can Scott dance his way out of it?
Riot Rundown: If you're in the mood for comedy, then Strictly Ballroom can fit in that niche just nicely. It's apparent that the director wanted a light hearted, amusing film. For the most part, the movie is a proverbial feather under the chin. Most movie buffs will love it, while my only reservation is that ballroom dancing might not be enough of a hard-hitting subject to interest everyone. For some reason, it reminded me of Best in Show, which is a hilarious mocumentary on dog shows. It seemed almost mocumentary-like, and the comedy and witty lines are well written and well delivered. Lastly, the Samba segment is funny, pretty neat, and somehow informative.
