Sadly Over-hyped

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Delightful, quite funny mockumentary in the vein of Christopher Guest, especially 'Waiting For Guffman'. If this isn't quite as surreally inventive or hysterically funny as that modern classic, it makes up for it with a great sense of good cheer, a dose of humanity between all the absurdity, and a terrific lead performance from Ben Miller as a deeply self-delusional dance teacher.It's all about dance school competitions between different groups of pre-adolescent girls. Miller plays Mr. Jonathon, who not only desperately wants to finally win, but also to make political statements by staging dances based on issues like the Kyoto Climate Protocols. This leads to some extremely funny sequences as we see these little girls dancing about some of the most un-dance-able concepts imaginable. The dialogue is witty, the supporting performances generally very strong (the one weakness is that some of the supporting 'types' lampooned are a bit too familiar and easy targets), and the choreography is great - just off enough to be extremely amusing.I was very glad I took a chance on this, and picked up a DVD copy on a friend's recommendation.

How in the world did this film ever get made? There wasn't a single good point about the whole film. I wouldn't have even given this "film" 1 out of 10 if there was a lower mark. Utterley pointless. Now don't get me wrong, I love films of all types and can usually see the good in things but this was 100% BAD! Totally unfunny (apart from one brief moment involving some vomit). This was like a poor man's Strictly Ballroom. So clichéd and tiresome.Avoid like the plague!

I was eager to see this new Australian film, as I am for all Aussie films, as I love just about everything that the industry comes up with. I have to say though, I was disappointed with the movie on the whole and found it very tedious and at times wanted to leave the cinema.I found myself shifting around in my seat, spacing in and out every now and then and pretty much wanting to leave.Now, that's not to say I didn't find parts of the movie bearable - witty and funny bits were splashed about everywhere. When it came to piecing the whole movie together, however, it just fell flat.Kerry Armstrong is the exception. I found myself sitting up in my seat and smiling every time she came on screen because each scene she was in was hilarious and bright. Jane Hall also gave a very good performance. The five-second appearance by one of my favourite actresses Rachel Gordon was a little more than a blink-and-you'd-miss-it scene which was disappointing because she deserves so much more than what she is given.All in all, Razzle Dazzle gave it a fair go but with the majority of the adult audience it didn't match the hype it received before the movie came out. Young kids would enjoy it for the singing and dancing routines, and I'm sure many adults could find something they liked about it as well.I couldn't help but picture Chris Lilley (King of the Australian Mockumentary) playing Mr Jonathon and wondering if he might have been just the thing to spruce it up a bit.

I watched Razzle Dazzle today not knowing much about it before hand, and therefore not having any great expectations. I love a good mockumentary, and if I had to compare it to any other, I would say it was in the same vein as "Drop Dead Gorgeous". But of course it had that Australian flavour to it which therefore meant the characters were a bit more relatable for me. Kerry Armstrong was wonderful as a pushy stage mother. This role could easily have gone into cliché but Kerry is such a good actress that she manages to get you to almost (only almost) fully understand her motives. Of course her daughter Tenille doesn't need to be pushed too hard, she wants it just as much. In contrast to Justine and Tenille, Nadine Garner's character of young Grace's mother is more of an interested outsider. She encourages her daughter, but it is Grace who is much more motivated and has the desire. The characters of Mr Jonothan and Miss Elizabeth are also complete contrasts - one is nurturing, the other a harsh task master. Miss Elizabeth also has the best cat's bum face I've ever seen. Denise Richards as Barbara the serial foster mother is a riot, while I didn't even recognise Tara Morice until the credits... but I did enjoy her rendition of "Gold". Overall, the film was gently over the top, which I feel is the point of mockumentaries, while simultaneously making us feel for the characters. Razzle Dazzle is well written and very well acted. Good job.