CINEMA: Razzle Dazzle – A Journey Into Dance

Oct 28, 2007

Written by: Dee Pilgrim

Christopher Guest has almost cornered the market in spoof documentaries, but this little Aussie curiosity has managed to slip through and although it’s no match for the likes of Best In Show, it has its moments.

This is really a Strictly Ballroom for pre-pubescent girls with a bunch of no-hopers aspiring to go to the finals of one of Australia’s numerous dance competitions.On one hand we have the young ladies from Miss Elizabeth’s (Jane Hall) troupe – all discipline and diets – and on the other the rabble that is Mr Jonathon’s (Ben Miller) Jazzketeers – all pre-teen rivalries, pushy mothers and homemade costumes.

There’s also the question of Mr Jonathon’s novel approach to choreography; all his routines have to be based on social or ethical issues. When the troupe wins a bye into the Grand Final (echoes of Little Miss Sunshine there, another film this resembles) he chooses to create a dance based on the plight of women in Afghanistan.

Much of the film is shot as either straight documentary footage of the girls rehearsing, or the main characters talking straight to camera, and in the scenes where this works well it’s very entertaining, but much of it suffers from a certain self-consciousness that dampens its youthful charm. Britain’s own Ben Miller is a real star though and watch out for cameos from Paul Mercurio and a rather baffled looking Leo Sayer.

Author: Dee Pilgrim

Dee always knew she wanted to make her living from writing and so trained as a journalist before working for a variety of music and women’s titles including Sounds, Company, Cosmopolitan, Ms London, New Woman, and Girl About Town. After going freelance she concentrated on celebrity interviews and film, theatre, music and restaurant reviews. Her love of film goes back to her very first cinema experience at the age of five when her mother took her to see Bambi. She cried. At one time she was the Film Editor for NOW magazine and also the secretary for the film section of the Critics’ Circle and the celebrity coordinator for its annual film awards’ event. She has written a number of books for teenagers through Trotman Publishing, including five Real Life Guides to vocational careers (including Carpentry, Plumbing and Catering), and also three books on Real Life Issues (Money, Bereavement and Self Harm). Her favourite film is still Bladerunner.