I absolutely love this movie, as does my entire family. Sweet, hilarious, will have you and your loved one exclaiming "Tina Sparkle!" in an Australian accent for the rest of your lives.

Such an enjoyable movie. The chemistry between Scott and Fran is undeniable.

Pure magic! Deeply moving, very funny, and filled with classic lines, a few in Spanish. I watch it every year, and it never gets old. And I don't even dance!

Very fun and well choreographed once it gets out of the stuffy ballroom that holds back the first half of the film. Once it's going, everything comes together with emotional beats, big reveal, and good humor. This movie sits somewhere on the satire spectrum but continues with an air of self-importance that is somewhat off putting. Also everybody in the movie is insufferable, but it's a dance drama, so 🤷

One of my all-time favorite movies. Yes, it's campy but the plot is actually pretty fun and there are plenty of laughs along the way. I would say this is one of the few movies I could recommend to anybody to watch and guarantee they'll like it and I've seen it so many times I've lost count.

3 & 1/4 stars. The dancers are incredible and the costumes sparkly, but the story is really about being an outsider.

Strictly Ballroom is a fairly enjoyable film. Being a Baz Luhrmann film, there are many things in the movie that I didn't enjoy but other audiences may enjoy these things. There are things in the movie such as the dancing, storyline and costumes that can certainly be admired. However overall, the movie isn't my cup of tea and I won't be watching it again.

I think my Baz Luhrmann journey will be full of surprises! His direction is unpredictable, sometimes visually rich and frenzy, and sometimes quiet and pacific, and he intersperses these different tones in unexpected moments. I liked it, it makes the movie seem a bit less generic. Paul Mercurio starts like an arrogant protagonist, but he's swallowed by an archaic system and finally discovered how to get out of it, but he's afraid. Tara Morice surprised me: her chemistry with Paul Mercurio was instantaneous, her character is as deep as Mercurio's and her family is a cool plot twist. The dance sequences are fantastic to watch. They're gorgeous, well-filmed and have the energy they should. About the ballroom universe: Pat Thompson does the protagonist's mother and she managed to be as generic as Sophia Heikkila from "Hatching", her character is painful to watch. Bill Hunter is the generic evil president and Gia Carides is the generic ex-partner. Despite being a movie about ballroom, it's a lot better when it's not, and surprisingly, this is a compliment, because it's an uninviting, boring and restrictive universe (the first act is by far the most boring one) from which the protagonist is desperate to escape (so does Barry Otto, who should have more screen time). The romance between the protagonists also takes a much bigger turn than it needed, but the couple is so cool that it's not a really big problem.

Fantastic! A must see film. Mr. Luhrmann directs a classic.

I love it's quirkiness. It's a real pleasure to watch!

Strictly Ballroom is a stunning and fun rlde coaster ride through Baz Lehman's red curtail mythology. Great music, amazing costumes, razor sharp editing... this is a film worth watching again and again as Scott fights the dance federation for the right to dance his own steps.

At first, it's difficult to tell if Strictly Ballroom is just a somewhat silly 'drama' circulating around lifelong ambitions to take top honors at the local dance competition, or if it's a parody of similar films that trade on pretty traditional elements - an unseen talent taking the spotlight, a brash young star considered to be too radical, conservative parents that end up supportive, a twist from the past, etc. This is partly because the film drops you unceremoniously and hilariously into the deep end of this world where dance is God, with factions vying for dominance in choreographic theory and absolutely everyone is clued in to the dramatic tension except for the audience, who are left to chuckle about the apparent life-or-death stakes associated with ballroom dancing in Australia. Then as the film moves on, the script anticipates that you'll begin to care for these outlandish characters with extremely traditional attributes going through a pretty predictable story, and Luhrmann does his best to pave the way with high-energy music, glitzy sets, and passionate dance numbers. However, your enjoyment of the movie is going to be very much based on how easily you can appreciate a story that's high on melodrama and lax on orginality beneath the surface. Strictly Ballroom has its moments, particularly for fans of Luhrmann's penchant for flair, but the film is geared towards casual weeknight viewing. (3/5)

Baz Lurhmann's career suggests there's truth in the idea that ambition that falls short is far more fun to watch than films that stick rigidly to convention. His debut carries many of the hallmarks of what is to come, and though it's conventional in some respects (it follows much of the template for both the sports movie and the 'rebellious young people take on stuffy adults' films), it has vibrancy, passion, imagination and wit to burn - not mention stunning dance sequences. Special mention also to the editing, which as it a lot of Lurhmann's films, does much heavy lifting here.

Part 1 of Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy: 'Strictly Ballroom'. Entertaining! It's as if 'Dirty Dancing' and 'Blades of Glory' had a baby. The comedic parts work better than the more romantic parts, but all in all it's an enjoyable watch - even for someone who holds no interest in dance. It's also extremely predictable, but that doesn't trouble the film one bit. Debutants, like Luhrmann himself, Paul Mercurio (Scott) and Tara Morice (Fran) work well together, with Bill Hunter being the standout support; though he doesn't top his performance in 2003 classic 'Kangaroo Jack. Sorry not sorry.

I am not a ballroom fan and even I had some fun.

I LOVE this movie!! I own it and can't watch it enough! It's kinda cheesy, but the best movies are! Definitely would recommend!!

hilarious with an interesting plot

I liked this a lot more than I expected to when I saw there were no big names in it. The visual style was unique and immersive and the sort-of mockumentary style of the commentary was very effective. His parents were exasperating but solid comedic relief and the entire premise of the movie with its life-or-death stakes feeling regarding ballroom dancing feel like they've made it so I don't soon forget this movie. The acting was also on-point, particularly the two leads making their debuts.

Just watched it again on the tube - as refreshing and as corny as ever.

Strictly Ballroom is a hot beautiful mess of stereotypes and cliches as it follows Scott Hastings (Paul Mercurio), who's a ballroom dancer trying to establish his own dance style against the face of the Dance Federation, and Fran (Tara Morice), the ugly duckling who takes lessons at Scott's mom's dance studio. They come together as unlikely dance partners, to the dismay of those around them, to bring about a shift in the strict regulations of the Dance Federation led by a Mr. Barry Fife (who is the spitting image of Donald Trump honestly)... Read full review: jane-han.com/filmblog/2018/7/12/film-review-strictly-ballroom-1992