All Australians love to barrack for the underdog to succeed. The desperate, dateless and totally clueless dance teacher Mr Jonathon (Ben Miller) has certainly never tasted victory of any sort. Evidently, there are 4000 dance studios in Australia, with 350 000 hopeful young dancers competing in 700 competitions every year. Mr Jonathon dedicates his life to his dance troupe the Jazzketeers, but his penchant for incorporating political statements into his choreography has left him on the sidelines as the winners collect their trophies.
In a world where winning is everything, rival teacher Miss Elizabeth (Jane Hall) is one of those winners. She knows that there is no place for political correctness in dance as she closely monitors her young troupe’s weight and eating habits. It is so wrong, but so is auditioning children at the foster home, and fostering them purely on their dance ability. There’s all this and more in Razzle Dazzle, a mockumentary that shines a humorous light on the world of preteen dance competitions. Some of the scenes are so glaringly politically incorrect that you will be bent over with laughter, but this spectacular comedy has a genuine affection for the world of dance and the foibles behind the razzle dazzle of the performances.
When one man wants to make a difference and nobody else shares his vision, you can’t help but wish the best for him. As Mr Jonathon tries to change the world one step at time the audience’s laughter turns to tears, but I will leave it for you to find out whether they’re tears of joy or sadness. Just bring tissues!
