- Review: John Wick 3 (C)
Scott Sycamore - Weekend Box Office
May 17 - 19 - Crowd Reports
Avengers: Endgame - Us
Box office comparisons - Review: Justice League (C)
Craig Younkin
Movie Review
Mad Hot Ballroom
By Lee Tistaert Published February 25, 2005
US Release: May 13, 2005
Directed by: Marilyn Agrelo
NR
Running Time: 110 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $8,044,906
Directed by: Marilyn Agrelo
NR
Running Time: 110 minutes
Domestic Box Office: $8,044,906
C+
68 of 143
A great setup, but the film is too caught up in showing one scene after another of kids just practicing.
Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary about 6th grade kids in New York who turn to ballroom dancing as a way to enrich their minds. The feature doesn?t have a release date yet and it is hot off its Slamdance Film Festival premiere. I heard it left moviegoers ecstatic there, which would make it seem like something worthy of seeing, to say the least. And while I can see why the audiences went nuts, the documentary was a pretty under-whelming experience for me.
There were things I liked about the feature: its tone is effective and what these kids have to say can be periodically impressive. But that wasn?t enough to keep me energized, as I was indifferent throughout many of the dance scenes and the preparation for the eventual face-off (they compete with other dance groups in a festival). The thing that might be crucial in shaping your opinion is whether or not you?re into ballroom dancing ? to me, it?s not that fascinating (especially with the kids), and so I thought a lot of it was repetitive. And the fact that this documentary runs at almost two hours didn?t help in that regard.
These kids can have some smart things to say and I was taken aback sometimes because they sounded like grownups (although, I?m referring to the girls more so than the boys). But then I also realized that some of these kids are probably more aware of their world and surroundings than many other kids in safer societies, being as though these kids have to deal with more. And that did make me appreciate the documentary on another level at times, as it conveyed their sharp perception at such a young age.
But I was disappointed by the simplicity of the ballroom scenes (which cover most of the running time). The feature shows the physical and mental progression of these kids when given these challenges. That is a great setup for a documentary, but the film is too caught up in showing one scene after another of kids just practicing. I realize part of the intent is to show the art of ballroom dancing, but it often seemed like a lot of what these kids did over and over again was the same routine. Periodically we get interviews with the kids as they share their thoughts on the matter as well as their life, but when they weren?t revealing anything provocative the show felt very straightforward.
As the feature got underway I had a feeling it was going to be an experience relevant to Spellbound (B), which was a documentary about the National Spelling Bee. I connected to those kids? horror stories and I thought it was occasionally amusing because of their reactions ? I think we all remember those days of not being able to spell to save your life (and for some of us, those days aren?t over). But that feature also evenly divided up time for us to get to know various kids involved. Mad Hot Ballroom makes some time in its schedule, but not nearly enough for an adequate personal connection.
The tone of the documentary works but the pacing was very uneven ? I was zoning out at times, thinking about other things. But I think some audiences (particularly older crowds) will find the underdog themes endearing, especially with the unique slice-of-life dissection that the feature offers. And while I admired that aspect, there were various scenes that could?ve been cut down and revamped, and so this feature didn?t exactly leave me swinging.
There were things I liked about the feature: its tone is effective and what these kids have to say can be periodically impressive. But that wasn?t enough to keep me energized, as I was indifferent throughout many of the dance scenes and the preparation for the eventual face-off (they compete with other dance groups in a festival). The thing that might be crucial in shaping your opinion is whether or not you?re into ballroom dancing ? to me, it?s not that fascinating (especially with the kids), and so I thought a lot of it was repetitive. And the fact that this documentary runs at almost two hours didn?t help in that regard.
These kids can have some smart things to say and I was taken aback sometimes because they sounded like grownups (although, I?m referring to the girls more so than the boys). But then I also realized that some of these kids are probably more aware of their world and surroundings than many other kids in safer societies, being as though these kids have to deal with more. And that did make me appreciate the documentary on another level at times, as it conveyed their sharp perception at such a young age.
But I was disappointed by the simplicity of the ballroom scenes (which cover most of the running time). The feature shows the physical and mental progression of these kids when given these challenges. That is a great setup for a documentary, but the film is too caught up in showing one scene after another of kids just practicing. I realize part of the intent is to show the art of ballroom dancing, but it often seemed like a lot of what these kids did over and over again was the same routine. Periodically we get interviews with the kids as they share their thoughts on the matter as well as their life, but when they weren?t revealing anything provocative the show felt very straightforward.
As the feature got underway I had a feeling it was going to be an experience relevant to Spellbound (B), which was a documentary about the National Spelling Bee. I connected to those kids? horror stories and I thought it was occasionally amusing because of their reactions ? I think we all remember those days of not being able to spell to save your life (and for some of us, those days aren?t over). But that feature also evenly divided up time for us to get to know various kids involved. Mad Hot Ballroom makes some time in its schedule, but not nearly enough for an adequate personal connection.
The tone of the documentary works but the pacing was very uneven ? I was zoning out at times, thinking about other things. But I think some audiences (particularly older crowds) will find the underdog themes endearing, especially with the unique slice-of-life dissection that the feature offers. And while I admired that aspect, there were various scenes that could?ve been cut down and revamped, and so this feature didn?t exactly leave me swinging.
Lee's Grade: C+
Ranked #68 of 143 between Kicking & Screaming (#67) and Kung Fu Hustle (#69) for 2005 movies.
Ranked #68 of 143 between Kicking & Screaming (#67) and Kung Fu Hustle (#69) for 2005 movies.
Lee's Overall Grading: 3025 graded movies
| A | 0.4% | |
| B | 30.0% | |
| C | 61.7% | |
| D | 8.0% | |
| F | 0.0% |
'Mad Hot Ballroom' Articles
- Scott's review C
February 25, 2005 This documentary tries to position ballroom dancing as some kind of revolution in helping kids escape the "hood," and I'm not buyin' it. -- Scott Sycamore
