Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
Average Rating: 7.1/10
Reviews Counted: 116
Fresh: 97 | Rotten: 19
This heartwarming documentary will win audiences over, as the sheer charm of precocious, enthusiastic children learning to dance resonates from the screen.
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 34 | Rotten: 1
This heartwarming documentary will win audiences over, as the sheer charm of precocious, enthusiastic children learning to dance resonates from the screen.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 8,215
My Rating
Movie Info
Every year, the New York Public School system sponsors a dance competition for youngsters in fifth grade; in this contest, boys and girls ages 10 and 11 learn traditional ballroom dancing styles such as the fox trot, the rumba, and the tango, and then pit their skills against other students from around the Big Apple. Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary which offers an inside look at this event, as well as the teachers and students who take part, with a particular emphasis on three schools: P.S.
Watch It Now
Cast
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (117) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (101) | Rotten (19) | DVD (16)
Charming if slightly overlong.
Top CriticListening to the kids talk is a treat in itself, but watching them strut their stuff in the final competition is enough to make you stand up and cheer.
It's kind of like the dance version of that documentary Rock School.
The kids are adorable, and so is the movie.
Clearly, the dance lessons are life lessons as well, nurturing self-confidence, team spirit, the joy of dancing and even a slight touch of Old World etiquette in an otherwise too-busy- to-be-courteous world.
Aside from being perfectly irresistible, the movie is also deeply inspiring, especially for children.
Inspiring and enjoyable, this docu chronicles the physical and psychological transformation of school kids of different social classes as they enter into the 'exotic' world of ballroom dancing.
A sweet, and utterly entertaining portrait of children learning about confidence, achievement, skill, and also understanding the game of the sexes at such a young age.
Charming, poignant and festive "Mad Hot Ballroom" is an inspirational documentary that shows the power of dance to invigorate self-esteem and ambition in young hearts.
The dozen or so whom Agrelo and Sewell chose to emphasize are especially appealing, but nearly all of them are bright, thoughtful, confident and dedicated -- a heartening glimpse of the coming generation.
Dance documentary hits all the right beats.
In all its unscripted glory, it shows us pre-adolescence with an astonishing authenticity that should be the envy of a hundred coming-of-age movies.
Cute, comical kids help make this ballroom dancing comp-romp a feelgood winner despite inexpert editing.
For its length, it would have been nice to learn a little bit more about some of the children. Nonetheless, Mad Hot Ballroom is still an uplifting and inspiring tale.
While Agrelo pushes a little too hard at times the attitude of the kids and the enthusiasm with which they perform dance makes it well worth a look.
It's a tale of tears, triumph and tread-upon toes; it may wear you out, but it'll put a spring in your step too.
... it's delightful to see the kids enthusiastically cheering each other on and they are terrific dancers. It'll make you want to take ballroom dancing lessons.
This documentary that is fun for the whole family
[Its] heart shines through during conversational scenes with the candid children.
A delightful documentary that shows how creative expression is a necessity in the lives of urban children.
persuasively shows how these lessons help bridge the gap between boys and girls during that uneasy period when the sexes are still suspicious of each other.
Only an icy hearted cynic could disparage this joyous, infectious documentary.
Audience Reviews for Mad Hot Ballroom
Super Reviewer
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Mad Hot Ballroom yet.
Latest News on Mad Hot Ballroom
April 30, 2008:
Ferrera Searching for Agrelo's Invisible SignDuring her summer hiatus from Ugly Betty, America Ferrera will star in a "coming-of-age drama" for...
April 6, 2006:
Critical Consensus: Take Or Leave This "Lead,: An Odd "Number," "Benchwarmers"This week at the movies, we explore the joys of dance ("Take the Lead"), mistaken identity...
January 3, 2006:
Chicago Critics Announce Their NominationsThanks to Movie City News for sharing the scoop on the Windy City critics and their favorite flicks...
What's Hot On RT
Bradley Cooper's Best Movies
Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh
Fast & Furious cars gallery
Blockbusters ranked!
Featured on RT
- Critics Consensus: Fast & Furious 6 is Certified Fresh 22
- Red Carpet Photos with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Gina Carano and More 0
- Video: The Hangover Part III Cast Interviews 0
- Total Recall: Bradley Cooper's Best Movies 38
- Parental Guidance: Epic and Beautiful Creatures 2
- Comic Book Movies You Can Watch Online 9
- In Pictures: The Cars of Fast & Furious 0
Top Headlines
-
Evan Peters Joins X-Men: Days of Future Past
0
-
Toby Jones Talks Captain America: The Winter Soldier
0
-
The Poltergeist Reboot May Actually Be a Sequel
9
-
Will Forte Promises MacGruber 2
1
-
Universal Plans Timecop Reboot
2
-
Return of the Jedi Turns 30
1
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Take Place in L.A.
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
Foreign Titles
- Un... deux... trois dansez (FR)
