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Mad Hot Ballroom By Harry Forbes Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) --"Strictly Ballroom" it isn't, but "Mad Hot Ballroom" (Paramount Classics) is nonetheless a generally appealing documentary about ethnically diverse New York City elementary school students, mostly 11-year-olds, competing in a citywide American Ballroom Theater's "Dancing Classrooms" program. The schools -- in Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn -- are as variegated as the youngsters themselves, from the savvy "downtown" ambience of P.S. 150 to the more poverty-informed air of P.S. 115 in Washington Heights. Intense rehearsals lead up to the finals, which bring success and inevitably for some disappointment. The virtues of the ballroom program are extolled by the teachers who note several instances of problem kids whose behavior dramatically improved. In addition, the process often taps into their artistic sensibilities with enriched lives as a result. Learning etiquette, the dances of other cultures and social interaction skills are other pluses. A few spoilsports notwithstanding, most of the kids seem to be having a blast. Even a couple of the boys who are not allowed to dance, for religious reasons, seem to enjoy the experience, playing disc jockey on the sidelines. The teachers run the gamut of involvement: Some have a total emotional absorption -- even crying with their young charges after they lose their chance at advancing to the next competition; the male instructors who see their roles as mentoring figures; and others have a more detached -- but no less committed -- stance. All the teachers are admirable in their fervent dedication to their jobs and the children. Director-producer Marilyn Agrelo and producer-writer Amy Sewell's film would benefit from a glossier style (and the sometimes murky soundtrack makes the dialogue a bit tricky to decipher), but the kids' precocious off-the-cuff remarks and growing adeptness at the rumba, tango, merengue, fox trot and swing are impressive and endearingly humorous or poignant. The banter sometimes turns serious, as when one child advises his parents to split after the father's infidelity. The boys and girls talk about their classmates of the opposite gender with juvenile curiosity and wonderment. The film feels a bit long. An extended segment on "CBS Sunday Morning" or A&E's "Breakfast With the Arts" could truthfully have covered the essentials of this story as effectively. But the joy of the transforming experience and the music -- ranging from Peggy Lee to Glenn Miller -- transcend the physical drabness of the urban public school setting. There are overall positive themes of good sportsmanship and the power of the arts to improve one's life, but the movements and costuming are occasionally on the suggestive side for this age group. The film contains some mature thematic elements. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG -- parental guidance suggested. - - - Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. END Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed. CNS · 3211 Fourth St NE · Washington DC 20017 · 202.541.3250 |
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