Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

nycritic Viewed as it is, without the cynicism that comes with having seen too many movies both good and bad, MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCE AND CHARM SCHOOL is an affecting picture about disaffected, bruised people whose destinies converge in this little motif of a tableau. An expanded concept from a short film of the same name that was released in 1990, this is a very romantic (i.e. "escapist") take on lost love, and the intent to rekindle it in a time and place where dreams have been lost, people have outgrown their innocence, and the only thing lingering over their heads is a small sliver of hope to return to that safe haven.The movie cuts between time zones in a style closer to the fragmented storytelling of Guillermo Arriaga's 21 GRAMS and THE THREE BURIALS OF MELQUIADES ESTRADA, and changes palettes according to each: blue for the fateful encounter between Robert Carlyle's and John Goodman's character, pastel for the flashback sequence where we see the title character, and a more balanced tone for the story as it eventually unfolds from Carlyle's point of view. It's a technique that works in unraveling the parallels of the characters as children, and seeing them now, as broken adults.It almost becomes a thriller in a way that is less dependent on an intentional story within a story. Carlyle's quiet baker, trying to locate Goodman's childhood sweetheart Lisa, stumbles on another situation where another shy girl, played by Marisa Tomei, is being brutalized by her half-brother, played by Donnie Wahlberg, and discovers a second chance at love. All the while, the specter of this ideal Lisa hanging over the ballroom and Marienne Hotchkiss' sensual-robotic commands, which makes her actual introduction late into the story as a bitter woman all the more heartbreaking. Camryn Manheim plays out all the anger and sadness into her brief scene where she at first pretends not to know what the hell this stranger is doing at her door, and later, alone, reveals to us her pain.An imperfect movie in the way it decides to resolve supporting conflicts and uses the voice-over narration of John Goodman to near unbelievable levels, but again, this is an escapist feature length film made with what seems to be genuine love for the material and devoid of all manipulation.

dgcasey Being a ballroom dancer this was pretty much a "required viewing." It was a little different from what I expected, but it was still worth the time. I've read the feelings of a lot of dancers who have rated this movie lower than I did. I would guess that they come by their opinions based on the fact that dancing to them, is a competition sport and that's how they always look at it. My feeling towards dancing would probably be more in line with those of Mary Ann Hotchkiss and Mr. Keane. "Dance is a very powerful drug Mr. Keane. If embraced judiciously, it can exorcise demons, access deep seated emotions and color your life in joyous shades of brilliant magenta that you never knew existed. But, one must shoulder its challenges with intrepid countenance if one is ever to reap its rewards." Get this movie, curl up on the couch with your honey and enjoy a very nice, sweet movie about searching for, and finding reasons for going on, even when life seems so pointless.

turningworm This movie was savaged by every critic on earth, which pretty much confirmed my opinion that critics are all stupid. Yeah, it was kinda' sappy, but I thought it worked for the film. Contrary to many reviews, I thought John Goodman's performance was excellent. The ensemble cast carried the movie well. It wasn't "Becket", but it was totally watchable. You have to pay pretty close attention. They don't whack you over the head with exposition the way some films do. The one thing I will say is that there are a few plot and character elements that just seem to be thrown in there for no apparent reason. If you can get past that, the movie makes it's points well and clearly, if not completely originally.

donby-1 Do you like long, slow, artsy-fartsy movies with lots of black & white flashbacks that go on forever ? Then you'll love this one.There are some good actors here, but this film represents their worst work. John Goodman's performance, as an accident victim, is lost. He looks about twice as obese as I remember him, and his face crowds the screen. Frankly, I couldn't get through it, and Donna Grayson's previous comments are completely inexplicable. She must have been involved in the production and is trying to beat the dead horse of promoting the film.Avoid this film like the plague, and you'll be a much happier person.