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Strictly Ballroom

Play trailer 1:44 Poster for Strictly Ballroom PG Released Feb 12, 1993 1h 32m Musical Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 50 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
A top ballroom dancer pairs with a plain, left-footed local girl when his maverick style earns him the disdain of his more conventionally-minded colleagues. Together, the team gives it their all and makes dreams of the National Championship title come true.
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Strictly Ballroom

Strictly Ballroom

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Critics Consensus

As emotionally rich as it is eye-catching, Strictly Ballroom uses its infectious energy as the fuel for a modern dance classic with all the right moves.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Stack San Francisco Chronicle It's hard to imagine a more exuberant and sheerly romantic comedy than this Australian import... In its mixture of camp and reality, the film is irresistible. Rated: 4/4 Jan 11, 2023 Full Review David Denby New York Magazine/Vulture This Australian production requires extreme indulgence -- and not the pleasant kind of indulgence, either, the kind in which you feel yourself to be a capital fellow; in this case, you feel that someone has made a fool of you. Dec 21, 2022 Full Review Anthony Lane The New Yorker It’s a good-humored ride for the senses, never too sickly sweet, and who can say no to that? Mar 14, 2022 Full Review Alan Jones Radio Times As kitsch and as corny as anything, this hilarious and heart-warming romantic comedy drama is the ideal pick-me-up. I Rated: 5/5 Sep 6, 2024 Full Review JD Duran InSession Film Some of it is cheesy and predictable but overall it’s a success. Rated: B- Aug 23, 2024 Full Review Brian D. Johnson Maclean's Magazine Strictly Ballroom is a ball -- a buoyant, crowd-pleasing musical with an irreverent wit. Dec 21, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Kyle C Very fun and well choreographed once it gets out of the stuffy ballroom that holds back the first half of the film. Once it's going, everything comes together with emotional beats, big reveal, and good humor. This movie sits somewhere on the satire spectrum but continues with an air of self-importance that is somewhat off putting. Also everybody in the movie is insufferable, but it's a dance drama, so 🤷 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/07/24 Full Review Timothy S One of my all-time favorite movies. Yes, it's campy but the plot is actually pretty fun and there are plenty of laughs along the way. I would say this is one of the few movies I could recommend to anybody to watch and guarantee they'll like it and I've seen it so many times I've lost count. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/04/23 Full Review Georgan G 3 & 1/4 stars. The dancers are incredible and the costumes sparkly, but the story is really about being an outsider. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/16/23 Full Review tristan c Strictly Ballroom is a fairly enjoyable film. Being a Baz Luhrmann film, there are many things in the movie that I didn't enjoy but other audiences may enjoy these things. There are things in the movie such as the dancing, storyline and costumes that can certainly be admired. However overall, the movie isn't my cup of tea and I won't be watching it again. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member I think my Baz Luhrmann journey will be full of surprises! His direction is unpredictable, sometimes visually rich and frenzy, and sometimes quiet and pacific, and he intersperses these different tones in unexpected moments. I liked it, it makes the movie seem a bit less generic. Paul Mercurio starts like an arrogant protagonist, but he's swallowed by an archaic system and finally discovered how to get out of it, but he's afraid. Tara Morice surprised me: her chemistry with Paul Mercurio was instantaneous, her character is as deep as Mercurio's and her family is a cool plot twist. The dance sequences are fantastic to watch. They're gorgeous, well-filmed and have the energy they should. About the ballroom universe: Pat Thompson does the protagonist's mother and she managed to be as generic as Sophia Heikkila from "Hatching", her character is painful to watch. Bill Hunter is the generic evil president and Gia Carides is the generic ex-partner. Despite being a movie about ballroom, it's a lot better when it's not, and surprisingly, this is a compliment, because it's an uninviting, boring and restrictive universe (the first act is by far the most boring one) from which the protagonist is desperate to escape (so does Barry Otto, who should have more screen time). The romance between the protagonists also takes a much bigger turn than it needed, but the couple is so cool that it's not a really big problem. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Fantastic! A must see film. Mr. Luhrmann directs a classic. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/02/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Strictly Ballroom

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A top ballroom dancer pairs with a plain, left-footed local girl when his maverick style earns him the disdain of his more conventionally-minded colleagues. Together, the team gives it their all and makes dreams of the National Championship title come true.
Director
Baz Luhrmann
Producer
Tristram Miall
Screenwriter
Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
AFFC, M & A Film, Beyond Films
Rating
PG
Genre
Musical, Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 12, 1993, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
May 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$9.1M
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Surround, Stereo, Dolby
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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