Mao's Last Dancer

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Mao's Last Dancer

PG

Released Aug 20, 2010

1h 57m

Biography

Drama

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Popcornmeter

55%

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76 Reviews

76%

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5,000+ Ratings

The ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he 11, taken from his peasant family in rural China to train in Beijing, and he defects to the United States as a cultural exchange student as a young man.

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Critics Consensus

Mao's Last Dancer has a stirring story to tell, but excessive sentimentality and leaden pacing keep this biopic from hitting its marks gracefully.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Rated: B

Feb 18, 2012

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Woefully creaky and corny.

Rated: C-

Oct 12, 2010

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Jonathan F. Richards

Film.com

Bruce Beresford's biopic of Li Cunxin, the Chinese ballet dancer who defected while on a student visa in Houston in 1981, is sometimes the movie equivalent of Oscar Meyer cold cuts. But the dancing is pure caviar.

Sep 21, 2010

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Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Biography in pas de deux. [Full review in Spanish]

Jul 19, 2022

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Jana Monji

Age of the Geek

This is an inspiring, sensitive look at a man who rose through chance and determination and gave up everything for a brief career center stage as a principal ballet dancer in America and then Australia.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 14, 2021

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

It's easy to understand why Sardi compresses the story, however, the compression leaves the film's dramatic arc at times feeling rushed.

Rated: 2.5/4.0

Sep 15, 2020

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Jennifer Tehani S

I’m biased because I read the book prior to seeing the film, but I must say that this is one of the few times a film has been able to effectively elevate and bring a book to life with the depth, nuance and emotion many dance-centric movies inherently lack. Dramatizing real people and true stories doesn’t always go so well but this exceeded my expectations and then some. Bravo! PS there’s a reason why the book did so well internationally

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/03/24

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Ash G

I thought this movie was fantastic. We often take our freedoms for granted nowadays, but thanx to the trailblazers who made it possible for us to have these freedoms, Maos Last Dancer is one of those films that depicts just that, of cultures closed off from each other until they're forced to open up & accept each other's differences thanx to one dancer & the brave support team behind him. So worth the watch, & appreciation of the multiculturalism (especially here in Australia) we have today.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

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Gabrielle T

Mao's last dancer was very moving and inspiring.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/07/23

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Peter GW F

We were fascinated and amazed at this wonderful real-life story presentation.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/14/23

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jeri v

Very weak : the book was a powerful document of the intense level of control and suffering of this period of China's political history. Starvation and limitations rampant: none of this is conveyed. The pain and fears of the students that were endured are left out. There is little reference to Li's physical, political, and other personal struggles that both motivated and stressed him. The result then, seems shallow and almost trite

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/26/23

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Audience Member

I can tell when I really like a movie because it is with me for hours after watching it. I was expecting a mediocre movie but was pleasantly surprised with good acting, being able to tell the story of Li Cunxin's life & good character depth.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Bruce Greenwood

Ben Stevenson

Kyle MacLachlan

Charles Foster

Joan Chen

Niang

Chi Cao

Li Cunxin

Amanda Schull

Liz

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Synopsis

The ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he 11, taken from his peasant family in rural China to train in Beijing, and he defects to the United States as a cultural exchange student as a young man.

Director: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Jane Scott
Screenwriter: Jan Sardi
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co: Great Scott Productions Pty. Ltd.
Rating: PG (Incidental Smoking|A Brief Violent Image|Language|Some Sensuality)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.8M
Runtime: 1h 57m

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