NICHOLAS HYTNER

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  BB.5.  USA, 2000.  Columbia Pictures Corporation, Laurence Mark Productions.  Screenplay by Carol Heikkinen.  Cinematography by Geoffrey Simpson.  Produced by Laurence Mark.  Music by George Fenton.  Production Design by David Gropman.  Costume Design by Ruth Myers.  Film Editing by Tariq Anwar.  

Silly rip-off of Fame that is not helped by bad acting from the leads, an idiotic script or the few uninspired dance scenes.  Amanda Schull plays a naive but excitable young lady who decides to audition for the American Ballet Academy and somehow gets in on her charm (hmmm…). Her school year starts and she finds herself in a complex world of hard-driving teachers, insensitive men and fellow students who would do anything to be better than everybody else. Basically, she goes to high school again except we see more leotards. Does anyone care? Not really.  Donna Murphy is excellent as the ballet teacher who seems strict but has a large heart for her students.