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Review

It's not often a child performance comes along that makes you want to cheer, but such is the case with young Bell, who is extraordinary as an eleven-year-old coal miner's son with aspirations of dance. The youngster's gallant portrayal is just one of the many pleasures to be found in a film knee-deep in them. Billy (Bell) lives with his coal mining family in Northern England. Instead of pursuing boxing lessons like all the other lads, Billy opts for ballet when he spies a class in session. Demonstrating a talent for the dance, Billy disregards his macho father's protestations and follows his heart, eventually vying for an opening at London's Royal Ballet School. From the producers of The Full Monty, the film shares in common a few elements from that hit comedy, including an economically depressed backdrop, a gallery of appealing characters, and an audience-pleasing quest of an underdog going against the odds. But the film stands well on its own, as not only a refreshing look at adolescence and the realization of one's dream, but a stirring musical entertainment as well. This is all brought to the fore by Bell's wondrous dancing, which is guaranteed to leave one breathless. In the end, Billy Elliot lifts the spirits in totally unexpected ways -- not bad for a poor coal miner's son.