By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * * * * )
The heartwarmer — and legwarmer — of the year takes place in a mining village in Britain's north-east during the great strike of 1984-85. For Billy (Jamie Bell), life at home is tense: his father (Gary Lewis) and brother Tony (Jamie Draven)
are striking miners and young Billy hates his boxing lessons in the local hall.
One day, he sees a chain-smoking disciplinarian (Julie Walters) giving ballet lessons. Soon he is the one boy among tutu-ed girls. Naturally, Billy's father thinks all male ballet-dancers are gay. He's right about Billy's best friend, Michael (Stuart Wells).
So far, so conventional, then this Strictly Ballet movie loses the plot. Billy's dad, who supports the strike, not only begins to understand his son's dream but becomes a scab to get money for Billy to attend his all-important audition in London. In this job, in this town, at this time? I think not.
But young Bell's charm, great supporting cast, good soundtrack (though it has the same dislocation as TV's Heartbeat — Marc Bolan was from the early 70s, not the 80s) triumph over a conventional story.
Running time: 110 mins
Rental: Today
