A cross between comedy, documentary and romance. If you tell your friends that they'll love a movie about ballroom dancing they may give you that look which is reserved for the times when you suggest playing doctor slalom in the hospital (in which you yell "Doctor Slalom!" and then run as fast as you can weaving through the clouds of doctors who tend to just stand in the middle of the hallway).

This is a marvelous satire on the ballroom dance community. You'll recognize (from flipping channels through PBS on the weekend) those insane costumes, tortured expressions of passion from tango competitions, and total obsession with a world of polyester and feather boas. Somewhat similar in spirit to Best In Show.

It is even viewable by men.

There was a trio of Australian films in the 90s that won me over completely - Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Muriel's Wedding and Strictly Ballroom. Perhaps the #3 of the three, Strictly Ballroom is nonetheless a charming, wonderful little film, managing to combine the bittersweet romance of Muriel's Wedding and the glitter of Priscilla.

Fran (Tara Morice), an awkward ugly duckling who spends her time hanging around a dance studio, is roped into a seemingly hopeless situation when she is recruited to partner Scott (Parul Mercurio) a dance champ who is determined to buck the rigid confines of the competitive dance world. It's a combination of familiar stories, sure but its also uniquely charming, dazzling, dark and funny.

A Cinderella story set in more or less modern-day Australia, this campy film goes backstage (waaaaay backstage) to a dance studio preparing for an international dance competition. Great dancing, bad dancing and lots of fun.

Great movie! One of my all time favorites. (via sciencegeek)