Rating: 
Summary: Billy Elliot is a Triumph
Review: Billy Elliot is the heartwarming tale of eleven year old Billy Elliot who in the hard scrabbled world of Northern England circa 1984 finds that he has a talent for of all things, ballet. Both his father and brother are toughened miners who are involved in the contemptuous and sometimes violent strike. Billy's father sends him to boxing lessons, but he is taken with the ballet students in the next room. The ballet teacher, Mrs. Wilkinson sees that Billy has real talent and she pushes him to higher limits. Billy hides the fact that he taken ballet from his family as he feels they will look down on him. Ballet after all isn't for real men, it is for women and poofs. after his father finds out that he's been taking ballet lessons instead of boxing, he forbids Billy from ballet. Defiantly Billy continues private lessons with Ms. Wilkinson and eventually his father sees that Billy truly loves ballet and has a chance to try out for the prestigious Royal Academy of Ballet in London. But due to the strike, the Elliot's are low on money. In an act of true love, Mr. Elliot, crosses the picket lines to try to earn money to send Billy to the audition. He is stopped by his oldest son from actually working, but his actions show that he really loves his family. In the end, Billy gets into the Academy and triumphs in the face of huge odds. Billy Elliot could have turned into a deliberate melodrama, but first time director Stephen Daldry doesn't allow that to happen. The main reason is Jamie Bell who does a tremendous job as Billy. With a glut young actors out there, Mr. Bell is often overlooked. This will change as his performance shows great depth as he applies comedic and dramatic touches to Billy. Julie Waters is excellent as Mrs. Wilkinson as is the rest of the cast. Billy Elliot is a winner all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Should had been in the Oscar nominations for best movie
Review: Chocholat got in the way of Billy Elliot in the Oscar race this year and , as a result one of 2000's best movies got less press-attention and smaller box-office profits than it indeed dezerved. Stephen Daldry's film is one of the best british movies i ever seen . Equally funny yet surely most touching than The Full Monty , Billy Elliot tells the story of a kid whose family life takes some stormy turns when he starts ballet lessons instead of taking box trainings like his father desires. This is a high-quality feel good movie which owes a lot of it's magic to a great cast . It's not only Jamie Bell who is excellent in the title role or Julie Walters who won an Oscar nomination ( the least the academy could do ) for her perfomance as Billy's teacher . It's also Gary Lewis who shinnes as the gifted boy's father or even smaller parts like the grandmother and the brother which makes this movie as great as it is.British cinema is not only Guy Ritchie you know...
Rating:
Summary: Son Helps Dad Grow Up
Review: This movie is about a lot of things. It's about a boy's triumph against all odds. It's about a family's struggle to be self suffient despite the adversity of class struggle. It's about communication or lack thereof between father and son, brother and brother, teacher and student. Above all this movie is about the length to which a father will go to sacrifice, encourage, and love a son who maybe "a (bleeping)genius," regardless of what others might think.The movie has many levels, but due to my research on fathers, the element I felt most clearly surfaces is that one's belief (particularly a son's) in onesself comes from one's parents (generally his father), or a teacher who sees genius. Billy encounters these believers on several levels. Billy's dead mother is still very much with him, even though it may only be in a letter he carries in his heart. Billy's father must learn to deal with his own conception of stereotypes and learn to admire and respect his son's talent, even if he may not have an appreciation for them. Billy's teacher must realize her belief cannot replace Billy's need for paternal approval. Billy must also learn to speak up for what he believes--who he is, who are his friends, what he wants to do, or what he feels when he dances. You'll get wonderfully caught up in this movie as its electricity will flow through your very being. There is some strong language in this movie, but if can get beyond that, the moments will not be lost at what an important message is in this movie. Once we learn to look at what talents our children have, we must then do everything we can to help them develop, refine, and enjoy. This movie is by far one of the best I've seen in a long time and should be mandatory viewing for every father with a son who marches to a different drummer. Rent it or buy it. If you are a middle school teacher, preview it first (for language) but I'd recommend it as mandatory viewing for 12 or 13 year old, who would discuss it with thier parents and then complete an essay about "What if you want to be something your dad doesn't understand when you grow up?"
Rating:
Summary: ADDICTIVE VIEWING
Review: I bought this DVD as soon as it was available - without renting first and BOY! was that the right decision!! I can't remember how many times I've seen it now - but I know one thing, I'll definitely be watching it again. Jamie Bell was wonderful - as were all the leading actors, and I was moved to tears by different emotions throughout the film. But why, oh why the sudden ending - more of that powerful dancing and music would have been much more satisfying...
Rating:
Summary: The most inspiring film of 2001
Review: Billy Elliot is a wonderful movie about a boy (Jamie Bell)from a working-class neighborhood who is pushed into taking boxing lessons by his dad. After a bad time in the ring, Billy tries his luck with ballet-and likes it (much to his father's dismay). There's a lot of humor and drama in this movie. I loved the soundtrack of T-Rex, The Clash and The Jam. The quirky relationships between Billy and everyone else in the cast is something to watch. If you love cheering for the underdog, definitely check it out.
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Summary: Absolutely splendid...one of the best of the last years.
Review: This was one of the most touching movies I have seen for a log time. Most of the reviews concentrate on the theme of the young boy wanting to dance and escape the daily boredom of a small village in England. Young Jamie Bell is a natural. He really is the young boy, perfectly normal who only has a bit of an unusual hobby. That alone would have made this an exxcellent movie. The second theme, much more under-emphasized is the sheer desparation in a small English miners village, where the effects of the Tatcher government is taking it's toll. The mine is going to get closed and all the villagers are out of work with no chance at all on alternative employment. This drives a probaly perfectly harmonious community to take sides against each other which can only be separated by the police. Gary Lewis, to me, is the star of this movie ( why not nominated for an Oscar) as he embodies the worries; the allegiance to his brothers in arms and the concern for his family. It is heartbraking to see when he finally makes his choice and breaks the picket; It shows a man who is driven to sheer desparation and defying all he believed in in order to help realize his son'dream. This is cinema non plus ultra!
Rating: 
Summary: very sweet film
Review: The story of a young boy discovering he prefers to follow the ballet lessons, rather than being forced to go to boxing, and the difficulties he encounters trying to convince his dad and brother it is not necessarily something for 'poofs'. I found the film very entertaining, the performances are wonderful, and it deals with the question of dealing with being gay (Billy's friend) in a very sweet and non-judgemental way. The only comment I have to make is that I thought the father's change of attitude (from being quite aggressive and forbidding Billy to pursue his ballet classes to totally understanding and supportive) in a rather short time slightly unbelievable. However, to include the struggle between him and Billy's teacher would probably not have made the film more interesting, since in the end the story is about Billy. I don't understand how you could not like this film.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst movies I've ever seen.
Review: This movie was one of the most awful movies I've ever seen. The dialogue was boring, the premise was unbelievable, and I had to work very hard not to fall asleep by the end. Predictable plot takes you nowhere. Please, don't bother.
Rating:
Summary: Jamie Bell shines!
Review: I rented Billy Elliot last weekend, and I loved it! The story was great, and the acting was really good. Jamie Bell is a brillant actor, and hopefully, in the near future, he'll do some movies in the US. I hope to see more of him soon!
Rating:
Summary: Absolute Passion
Review: I watched this movie last night and find myself still alive with the passion this morning. Billy Elliot is this impoverished young boy with an aptitude for ballet in a town overrun with male stereotypes. His dancing starts out structured, then stems off to be an extension of the fire his environment has fueled. Each dance begins with a twitch in his foot and then floods his entire body like "electricity". The movie is an emotional triumph for Billy as well as everyone he touches, including the viewer!
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