The film is mainly well done, but...
"The movie is sort of awkwardly cobbled together, and there are big shifts in character without much explanation. Billy's dad, a supporter of the strike, not only begins to understand his son's dream, but actually becomes a strikebreaker to get money for Billy to attend an important audition. I can believe a coal miner supporting his son's dancing dreams, but anyone who believes he would become a scab to raise the money doesn't know much about union miners." [Roger Ebert]
As we were watching it, I felt uneasy about some of the sudden character changes.
+3/3 Review: Roger Ebert (October 13, 2000)Story of Billy Elliot Inspired by Life of Opera Singer Hi John,
An article claims that the story of Billy Elliot by Lee Hall was “inspired by” the life of the international opera star, Sir Thomas Allen. Lee Hall wrote the screenplay and was nominated for an Academy Award. In addition to being a screenwriter, Lee Hall is a playwright, television writer, and lyricist. Wikipedia says: “The inspiration for the screenplay was drawn, in part, from the A. J. Cronin novel The Stars Look Down, which is also set in an English coal mining community during a strike, and similarly tells the story of a miner's son who goes against the grain.” [However, none of the characters in the novel aspire to some profession in the arts. The primary similarity is the setting-a coal-mining town and young men who follow unexpected paths.
Another article claims Billy Elliot is also partly the story of Philip Mosley, a dancer at London’s Royal Ballet at Covent Garden.
Richard
