When one youth this summer has already turned towards boxing, crossing gender lines in Girlfight, young Billy Elliot decides to go the opposite way - turning away from boxing and instead taking up ballet. Against his father's wishes, his brother's urgings, and the general view of ballet dancers, Billy (Jamie Bell), not satisfied with boxing, turns towards the local ballet class where Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters) takes him under her wing.

Set in the mid-1980's during the English coal miners' strike, Billy Elliot is another import from England, similar to The Full Monty which not only entertains through laughter, but also has a very touching and heart-felt story. Packed to the rim with spectacular acting, from teacher Julie Walters to Billy's family; his father - Gary Lewis, his brother - Jamie Draven, and his grandmother - Jean Heywood. Also worthy of noting, Mrs. Wilkinson's daughter, Debbie (Nicola Blackwell) is amazing as she 'courts' young Billy and Billy's best friend, Michael (Stuart Wells) is hilarious as he figures out who he really is inside.

But it's not just acting that drives Billy Elliot to it's near perfection, but rather a script that contains dialogue and situations that we can almost all relate to interspersed with comedic situations that lighten the tension and move the movie along a little better. I usually dislike these types of feel-good movies where there's some lesson to be learned at the cost of a good script (e.g. Pay It Forward), but Billy Elliot is able to rise above the cliches and combine a genuinely funny and heart-felt script with the superb acting from Jamie Bell and the supporting cast into a film that almost everyone of any age will enjoy.

Genres: Drama, Comedy
Rated: R
Runtime: 110 minutes
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