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Dec 10, 2021Liked by Roni Loren

Wait! Wait! Wait! I LOVE Strictly Ballroom. I love it because it is over the top, completely ridiculous, and hilarious. You can't go into it thinking about Dirty Dancing. This is a ridiculous farce about a tiny subset of people who compete in Ballroom Dancing in a specific part of Australia. In addition to the hilarious over the top stuff, there is a great love story about 2 people that "should" not be together. There is a story about finding your voice in a regimented stale rule-focused community. There are parts that show us issues of classism, and discrimination against immigrants/non-English speakers. There is a story about creativity, and making new art. There is a story about finding yourself, and being yourself at all costs. And there is great music, and the colors are spectacular. Clear your mind of all preconceived notions, wait a bit, and watch it again

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Lol, I love your enthusiasm for it! I didn't go in expecting Dirty Dancing, I honestly didn't. And I liked the couple and I loved the scenes with her family, but the farcical stuff just didn't land with me. I think I don't like farce. This is also why when a rom com book has quotes on the front that say "over the top" or "hilarious", I usually pass it by. I love that you love it, though! Clearly, I'm in the minority based on the ratings. I also didn't watch it "in its time" which sometimes affects movies. Like there are a lot of movies I love from the 80s or 90s that I saw in the 80s or 90s, but if I were to watch them for the very first time now probably wouldn't work as well for me.

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