It's a low budget film, so horrible over-acting is to be expected. The story is predictable, but I don't regret watching it. My 9 yr old daughter is in love with ballet, and it was on netflix, so I thought I'd give it a try for an evening when it was just the two of us. She loved the entire movie. (but I don't think her brothers would agree - haha) It was really cute seeing her cheer Tutu on. The final dance number was incredible!
14 Reviews
Yikes! Horrible over acting.
maddestdancer9 April 2018
Yes there are some talented dancers in the show, thank goodness for that. The quality of dance is quite good but the acting and direction leaves me wondering just what were the producers and directors thinking? The piano player at the studio, along with the ballet mistress and the mothers are so over exaggerated I cringe. The girls are truly dancers but the over characterized mean girl and awkward girl personas are again just too much to overlook. The story is quite predictable ad overdone. And what's with the hot pink in every single scene? I understand having a color scheme but this is rediculous: What single father would decorate the entire kitchen in fuchsia? I was so hoping there would be a well made show for dancers. They really missed a great opportunity to fill the void of quality ballet shows.
Cute, but not Cute Enough
courtneytlhaynes14 March 2018
I really want to give this movie an eight or nine, but I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror in the morning. First, let me say that this is not meant to be any type of indictment of the young ballerinas in the movie. Their dancing was the highlight of the movie and their heart is what kept the movie afloat. But in the meantime, the adults fumbled their way through the movie, rattling of "jokes" that were so unfunny, you questioned whether they were meant to be one. ("Was that supposed to be a joke? Or did I just miss something?)
The movie has its customary mean girls who predictably start off rotten and end up not so rotten. And it's Devil wearing prada, who starts off the movie with the harsh strictness of a Nazi and ends up at the end a little not so strict. Most baffling is that these transformations (which usually occur with nothing more than a single line) appear suddenly with seemingly almost no forethought.
Again, the girls (ballerinas) in this were all wonderful and should not be blamed for an uninspiring and unoriginal story. They didn't write this crap, after all. However, if you do love ballet, the dancing is wonderful! If you suffer through the first half, you'll be treated to some good dancing in the second. Turn off your cynicism for a moment and you might be able to even enjoy it -- but that's only if you like ballet to begin with.
All in all, I feel you'd have to be Hitler to utterly despise this movie with the adorable young cast and the heart they put into this. On the other hand, you'd have to not seen a single movie in your life to think the plot was either compelling or unique. Two stars is too harsh. Five stars is pandering. I land somewhere between 3 and 4.
The movie has its customary mean girls who predictably start off rotten and end up not so rotten. And it's Devil wearing prada, who starts off the movie with the harsh strictness of a Nazi and ends up at the end a little not so strict. Most baffling is that these transformations (which usually occur with nothing more than a single line) appear suddenly with seemingly almost no forethought.
Again, the girls (ballerinas) in this were all wonderful and should not be blamed for an uninspiring and unoriginal story. They didn't write this crap, after all. However, if you do love ballet, the dancing is wonderful! If you suffer through the first half, you'll be treated to some good dancing in the second. Turn off your cynicism for a moment and you might be able to even enjoy it -- but that's only if you like ballet to begin with.
All in all, I feel you'd have to be Hitler to utterly despise this movie with the adorable young cast and the heart they put into this. On the other hand, you'd have to not seen a single movie in your life to think the plot was either compelling or unique. Two stars is too harsh. Five stars is pandering. I land somewhere between 3 and 4.
Horrible example for children
krystal2715 March 2020
Garbage
arfdawg-16 January 2018
Alleged Plot:
A heart-warming family film about one girl's dream of dancing in the lead and realizing the only way to do it, is believing that you can.
Real Plot:
Nyquil.
This is the worst movie I have ever seen. Filled with thin unreal scenes, badly drawn characters and direction that will put you to sleep.
This movie feels like a really really really bad after school special. Only there's nothing special.
This is the worst movie I have ever seen. Filled with thin unreal scenes, badly drawn characters and direction that will put you to sleep.
This movie feels like a really really really bad after school special. Only there's nothing special.
Bad acting
spudkins19905 May 2019
I don't understand why the acting is so bad in this, they were both in hollyoaks and acted fine so surely they know how too 🤔 it made me cringe all the way through and the mum's are so over bearing but my 6 year old enjoyed it. It's a just a really bad movie
The Very Worst of Youth Dance Programs
ian-984413 June 2018
This is pretty much Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer translated into a movie about ballet. Terrible people treat others like garbage because they're slightly different. Then said terrible people embrace the different folks when they provided material benefit.
The moral of the story seems to be, "Treat people like garbage until they help you."
The moral of the story seems to be, "Treat people like garbage until they help you."
Awful
nickdiable-330984 March 2020
Ok for little girls. Parents will just have to suffer through it.
msaayman13 September 2018
A cute movie. Acting is not great but if you look past this it's ok to watch. My 4 year old loved the dancing and was twirling along whenever a dance scene came up. The bullying was a bit overdone I think, and the over zealous dance mums as well.
Cute
I_am_ok_2210 January 2018
Great film for little girls who love to dance
Amy1726317 April 2018
I watched this with 2 girls aged 6 and 8. They adored it!! They don't go to ballet classes but they love to dress up as ballerinas and dance and they were glued to this film from start to finish. Usually the 6 year old gets restless when watching a film and rarely makes it to the end of one, but this kept them both sat down for the entirety. The bad reviews seem unfairly harsh - it's a low budget, small production and shouldn't be compared to any big hollywood kids film. I'm not going to say it's a brilliant storyline or oscar award winning acting, but it is a cute British film with good actors and great dancing and i'm sure any young girls who love to dance would really enjoy it.
My Son Loves this film
mikenewmanjnr18 January 2020
Underrated, apparently; great movie
kutivastu7 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this on Netflix a couple times. I liked it both times. It has re-watch value. It's well-done. I would probably buy it on Prime Video soon if it were available. (And no, I don't have Netflix, currently.)
The acting is great. The dancing is great. There's no profanity (that means a lot to me). There's character development for most characters. I wouldn't call it cute, but it is beautiful, entertaining, and touching. It's not explicitly for little girls, in my opinion; I'd say ideally maybe ages 9+ for females and I'm not sure what age for males, but if they're averse to watching a movie that seems to be for girls, they might not appreciate the movie enough. The cinematography doesn't feel low budget. There's no CGI or anything, though, as far as I can tell. The music is great. It's a good movie. It's very emotional (not a comedy). I'd say it's a light-hearted (not dark, mundane, or scary), emotional, uplifting drama. There are no fantasy elements (e.g. magic and talking animals). There are some sad parts. There is some bullying.
The main character (whose name is Tutu) doesn't get everything she wants: the instructor has a very specific way of doing things, and contrasts a lot with how Tutu wants to do things. Tutu wants to wear her own stuff and dance her own way, but no. Her instructor won't have it. She has to wear a plain pink tutu and dance like everyone else (and not as a lead). She tries, but ...
Tutu's mom died (before the movie began). So, she's emotional about that, and she loves her mom. I believe her mom was famous for something or other, and I think Tutu wanted to perform like that with ballet.
Tutu has a hard time at ballet school sometimes, because of a bully, and the contrast with her instructor, and how she non-purposefully dances free-form at times. The bully comes around by the end of the movie and they're all on good terms by then. The bullying might seem extreme and vigilant for the age-group, and the activity, but stranger things have happened, and it's surprisingly normal in girls fiction (movies, TV, and books). Anyway, I'm reluctant to call it unrealistic when I'm not all-knowing myself, especially because my life would probably look less realistic to critics than this story.
There's a side story with the parents of the girls as they watch their daughters practice and perform. One or more of the parents isn't very fond of the behavior of another one of the parents, and expresses this (in a snobby and racist way), but Tutu's father (the only male parent) is very kind to the oppressed woman (and blatantly is unafraid to be kind in front of the woman who acted snobbish/racist). Tutu's father and the oppressed woman become good friends. He seems to become friends with all the women, though, but especially her. You'd think there'd be some romance between the two, but I don't know. I think they're just friends.
There's a nice girl who likes to spell things out loud in a semi-musical sort of way. This isn't explained much, but it's entertaining/quirky, at least, and she's lovable.
There are serious ballet competitions in this movie, which seems to indicate that the dancers are supposed to be pretty good.
I don't know why people have given this movie such harsh reviews. It deserves a lot better than that (much as does Jessica Darling's It List, but even more so). The movie has a lot of artistry and poetic style. It wasn't just thrown together overnight or such. Whatever imperfections it might have, it definitely makes up for them. If you don't care about interpersonal relations, friendship, training, and emotional goals, this probably isn't the movie for you, unless you really love dancing or something.
The acting is great. The dancing is great. There's no profanity (that means a lot to me). There's character development for most characters. I wouldn't call it cute, but it is beautiful, entertaining, and touching. It's not explicitly for little girls, in my opinion; I'd say ideally maybe ages 9+ for females and I'm not sure what age for males, but if they're averse to watching a movie that seems to be for girls, they might not appreciate the movie enough. The cinematography doesn't feel low budget. There's no CGI or anything, though, as far as I can tell. The music is great. It's a good movie. It's very emotional (not a comedy). I'd say it's a light-hearted (not dark, mundane, or scary), emotional, uplifting drama. There are no fantasy elements (e.g. magic and talking animals). There are some sad parts. There is some bullying.
The main character (whose name is Tutu) doesn't get everything she wants: the instructor has a very specific way of doing things, and contrasts a lot with how Tutu wants to do things. Tutu wants to wear her own stuff and dance her own way, but no. Her instructor won't have it. She has to wear a plain pink tutu and dance like everyone else (and not as a lead). She tries, but ...
Tutu's mom died (before the movie began). So, she's emotional about that, and she loves her mom. I believe her mom was famous for something or other, and I think Tutu wanted to perform like that with ballet.
Tutu has a hard time at ballet school sometimes, because of a bully, and the contrast with her instructor, and how she non-purposefully dances free-form at times. The bully comes around by the end of the movie and they're all on good terms by then. The bullying might seem extreme and vigilant for the age-group, and the activity, but stranger things have happened, and it's surprisingly normal in girls fiction (movies, TV, and books). Anyway, I'm reluctant to call it unrealistic when I'm not all-knowing myself, especially because my life would probably look less realistic to critics than this story.
There's a side story with the parents of the girls as they watch their daughters practice and perform. One or more of the parents isn't very fond of the behavior of another one of the parents, and expresses this (in a snobby and racist way), but Tutu's father (the only male parent) is very kind to the oppressed woman (and blatantly is unafraid to be kind in front of the woman who acted snobbish/racist). Tutu's father and the oppressed woman become good friends. He seems to become friends with all the women, though, but especially her. You'd think there'd be some romance between the two, but I don't know. I think they're just friends.
There's a nice girl who likes to spell things out loud in a semi-musical sort of way. This isn't explained much, but it's entertaining/quirky, at least, and she's lovable.
There are serious ballet competitions in this movie, which seems to indicate that the dancers are supposed to be pretty good.
I don't know why people have given this movie such harsh reviews. It deserves a lot better than that (much as does Jessica Darling's It List, but even more so). The movie has a lot of artistry and poetic style. It wasn't just thrown together overnight or such. Whatever imperfections it might have, it definitely makes up for them. If you don't care about interpersonal relations, friendship, training, and emotional goals, this probably isn't the movie for you, unless you really love dancing or something.
See also
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