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Mao's Last Dancer

Play trailer Poster for Mao's Last Dancer PG 2010 1h 57m Biography Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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55% Tomatometer 75 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
The ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he was 11, taken from his peasant family in rural China to train in Beijing, and he defects to the United States as a cultural exchange student as a young man.
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Mao's Last Dancer

Mao's Last Dancer

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Critics Consensus

Mao's Last Dancer has a stirring story to tell, but excessive sentimentality and leaden pacing keep this biopic from hitting its marks gracefully.

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Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness 10/12/2010
C-
Woefully creaky and corny. Go to Full Review Jonathan F. Richards Film.com 09/21/2010
Bruce Beresford's biopic of Li Cunxin, the Chinese ballet dancer who defected while on a student visa in Houston in 1981, is sometimes the movie equivalent of Oscar Meyer cold cuts. But the dancing is pure caviar. Go to Full Review Peter Brunette The Hollywood Reporter 09/10/2010
Feel-good movie about a Chinese dancer presses all the right buttons. Go to Full Review Rene Jordan El Nuevo Herald (Miami) 07/19/2022
Biography in pas de deux. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Jana Monji Age of the Geek 08/14/2021
4/5
This is an inspiring, sensitive look at a man who rose through chance and determination and gave up everything for a brief career center stage as a principal ballet dancer in America and then Australia. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/15/2020
2.5/4.0
It's easy to understand why Sardi compresses the story, however, the compression leaves the film's dramatic arc at times feeling rushed. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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cooper 2 Nov 19 I thought this was a stunning amazing film. must see See more Roberto P 12/24/2024 Irregular narrative, a real story sometimes ruined by too much romantic honey and the all american world's good will heroes but saved by the music and dance. See more Jennifer Tehani S 11/28/2024 I’m biased because I read the book prior to seeing the film, but I must say that this is one of the few times a film has been able to effectively elevate and bring a book to life with the depth, nuance and emotion many dance-centric movies inherently lack. Dramatizing real people and true stories doesn’t always go so well but this exceeded my expectations and then some. Bravo! PS there’s a reason why the book did so well internationally See more Ash G 07/19/2024 I thought this movie was fantastic. We often take our freedoms for granted nowadays, but thanx to the trailblazers who made it possible for us to have these freedoms, Maos Last Dancer is one of those films that depicts just that, of cultures closed off from each other until they're forced to open up & accept each other's differences thanx to one dancer & the brave support team behind him. So worth the watch, & appreciation of the multiculturalism (especially here in Australia) we have today. See more 06/12/2022 I can tell when I really like a movie because it is with me for hours after watching it. I was expecting a mediocre movie but was pleasantly surprised with good acting, being able to tell the story of Li Cunxin's life & good character depth. See more tony h 05/29/2021 People such as the critics who claim to have found fault with this movie clearly are not thinking about THE BIGGER PICTURE, which therefore makes it clear why this movie has been made this way. For a start, it's a true story; -Get real! -With its greater context especially, this is a great film with a very great and wonderfully humane, achingly poignant story to tell. Think about it. See more Read all reviews
Mao's Last Dancer

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Cast & Crew

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Bruce Beresford

Director

Bruce Greenwood

Ben Stevenson

Kyle MacLachlan

Charles Foster

Joan Chen

Niang

Chi Cao

Li Cunxin

Amanda Schull

Liz

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Mao's Last Dancer

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Movie Info

Synopsis The ballet life of Li Cunxin begins when he was 11, taken from his peasant family in rural China to train in Beijing, and he defects to the United States as a cultural exchange student as a young man.
Director
Bruce Beresford
Producer
Jane Scott
Screenwriter
Jan Sardi
Distributor
Samuel Goldwyn Company
Production Co
Great Scott Productions Pty. Ltd.
Rating
PG (Incidental Smoking|A Brief Violent Image|Language|Some Sensuality)
Genre
Biography, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 20, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
May 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.8M
Runtime
1h 57m
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