Sometimes you just gotta dance your own steps
Source: alchetron.com
Starring: Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter
Year: 1992
Running Time: 94 minutes
The final film in my A to Z of Baz Luhrmann series is actually the first film to form part of his so-called Red Curtain Trilogy comprising Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge, with a theatre or performance motif connecting the three. This particular romantic comedy takes place in Australia. It is a love story between a ballroom champion, Scott Hastings, and an ugly duckling, Fran, who blossoms into a swan, set against the backdrop of the cutthroat and corrupt world of competitive ballroom dancing.
The film begins in a mockumentary style series of interviews with several characters, including Scott's mother, Shirley, a cosmetics consultant who appears to take full advantage of her employee discount when it comes to her make-up and Scott's dance partner, the whiny Liz. Scott's mother alludes to a tragedy at the Waratah District Competition and we soon see what she is referring to. Scott and Liz were boxed in on the floor and, as a result, Scott resorted to his "own flashy, crowd-pleasing steps" which are against the rules and which cost them the competition.
When Liz leaves Scott for another dancer who appears to use even more hairspray than she does, Fran - a beginner dancer with no partner, oversized glasses, problem skin and unkempt hair - volunteers to step up as Scott's partner. "I...wanna dance with you" a tongue-tied Fran says to a sweaty Scott wearing a white wife-beater that shows off his bulging biceps. He give her a chance in a dance sequence reminiscent of Johnny and Baby's early rehearsals in Dirty Dancing, complete with clumsy collisions and close-ups of their dance shoes.
One of the best scenes in the film is the Time After Time sequence on the rooftop of the dance studio. Fran and Scott dance the night away in front of the shimmering Coca-Cola sign while downstairs, Scott's father, Doug, free from his wife's scolding tongue and critical eye, is able to release his inner dancer.
The Pan-Pacific Grand Prix is coming up and Australian Dance Federation President, Barry Fife (who, with his orange hue, bad toupee and surly expression, bears a strong resemblance to Donald Trump) wants Scott to partner with ballroom sensation, Tina Sparkle. When Fran finds out, she is devastated but encourages the partnership for the sake of Scott's dance career. But dancing with Fran has unleashed something in Scott and he tells Tina that he is not available, much to Shirley's horror.
In another stand-out scene, Fran's strict father finds out about their partnership and challenges Scott to show him the pasodoble. He proceeds to school Scott in the art of this passionate dance before Fran's grandma gives Scott a one-on-one lesson that involves pounding out a rhythm on his tight chest.
But Shirley and Barry are not about to let Scott and Fran waltz their way onto the dance floor at the Pan-Pacifics. As such, Barry tells Scott that his father had had the potential to become one of the greatest ballroom dancers the country had ever seen but he threw it away by dancing his crowd-pleasing steps. He guilt-trips Scott into dancing with Liz (who is once again available) at the Pan-Pacifics for the sake of his father's lost dreams.
So Scott dances with Liz, whose head-to-toe yellow outfit makes her look like a bedazzled canary. But Doug finally speaks up and tells Scott the truth about the end of his days as a dancer, which is very different from Barry's version, a truth that convinces Scott that he needs to dance with Fran. They burst onto the floor, him in a gold bolero jacket, and her in a striking red flamenco dress, and burn up the dance floor by applying everything that they have learnt through their time together.
The film has several memorable songs including the aforementioned Time After Time, the classic Que Sas Que Sas and the uplifting Love is in the Air of the finale; over-the-top characters who have you rooting for their success or their demise in the case of the shady Barry Fife; beautiful ballroom dancing, a classic love story and, above all, a strong message: to follow the rhythm of your own heart when you are simply "sick of dancing someone else's steps".
Favourite line: "A life lived in fear is a life half-lived."
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