Same-sex, competitive ballroom dancing fills Gail Freedman's documentary, HOT TO TROT

If you are already interested in competitive ballroom dancing, particularly via the documentary format, you may very well love HOT TO TROT, a new movie from filmmaker Gail Freedman. If you don't have much interest in this, a word of caution may be in order. Even the gay hook the doc provides for those of us in the GLBT community may not be enough to make a "watch" worthwhile. The movie is certainly pleasant enough, as it skims the surface of the lives and interests of a half dozen competitive ballroom dancers, three male and three female. As the end credits roll, and we get some information on what has happened to these people, questions arise that suggest what the film might have achieved with more exploration and added depth.

Ms Freedman offers up dance partners Ernesto Palma (above, left), of Costa Rico, and Nikolai Shpakov (above, right), of Russia, and later Robbie Tristan (below, right), a former partner of Ernesto, who, due to health issues, must return to his home in Hungary.

On the distaff side, we meet Emily Coles (below, left), a diabetic who must wear an insulin pump 24/7, and her partner, Kieren Jameson (below, right) of New Zealand.

Later Emily adds a new female partner to the mix, Katerina Blinova (below, right). Along the way, we meet and/or learn about the families of some of these folk, and eventually of the dancers' life partners, as well. Nikolai misses his family in Russia, who he hopes will someday accept his being gay; Kieren's mom and dad come from New Zealand to see her dance.
And so forth.

Marriage eventually occurs, even a set of twin babies for which Ernesto and his mate arrange. We also view a couple of dance competitions, which generate a modicum of suspense and hope. But we never learn much about how all this works. Clearly the dancers must know a number of different dances -- rhumba to samba to whatever -- but as to what the judges look for or why one couple is held in higher esteem than another, go figure.

Ms Freedland, shown at right, has produced a pleasant, feel-good film with some fairly interesting characters on view. But it is all so surface and expected that I, at least, grew mostly bored.  And then, at the finale, with that end credit information regarding where these people are now and with whom, I couldn't help but think, "Boy, I'd like to know more about that!"

From First Run Features and lasting just 88 minutes, the documentary opens in New York City this Friday, August 24, at the Quad Cinema, and in Los Angeles on September 14 at Laemmle's Music Hall. For other upcoming playdates, cities and theaters, click here.

DVD/VOD debut: Florida seniors (ladies division) dance in Brian Lilla's BALLROOM CONFIDENTIAL

Initially, as you watch the new documentary about some ladies of a certain age in the waiting room of the after-life known as Florida, you may very well have a sense of déjà vu. Haven't we seen thee people (or some very much like them) already, perhaps many times in documentaries over the past decade devoted to seniors and their lives? Well, yes and no. Stick with this new doc for even a little while, and you'll find yourself surprisingly wrapped up in not only the old folk themselves but in the owner of the dance studio and his staff members who give these elderly women a chance at everything from finding a little happiness to getting some exercise to, yes, following their dream.

The title of BALLROOM CONFIDENTIAL, it turns out, is quite unlike other "confidential" movies. There's nothing salacious here. Rather, think of this more as delving into buried knowledge that gets you to the heart of things. As directed by Brian Lilla (of the excellent Patagonia Rising), the movie never pushes nor tries to turn either its seniors or its kindly dance instructors into marvels of perseverance or heroism. They're just who they are, but as we learn more about them, they become important individuals, each of whom has something worthwhile to say to us and do for her/himself.

Chief among these people -- literally and symbolically -- is Caleb (above, right), the dance instructor who organizes things and is currently rehearsing for a dance program (its theme based rather charmingly on a compilation of old "spy" movies) for his seniors that will give them each the chance to dance and individually perform, while also entertaining the audience. Caleb's story, which we learn in dribs and drabs, has brought him from NYC, post-9/11 and a lover lost to illness, back to his original home in Florida to pick up the pieces of his life and begin again. (That's one of his seniors (above, left), a feisty lady named Margaret, who lost her husband and dance partner of some 50 years to the dementia of Alzheimers and is now herself trying to grab whatever excitement she can find left in life.)

Above is Jean, a still very attractive woman who desperately wanted to take dance classes as a young girl. The three dollars per week it cost back then her parents could not afford. Today, Jean spends a lot more than three bucks but is finally fulfilled.  Lois, below and one of the oldest of our dames, designs her own dresses and does a damned good job it it. All of the women have a reason for being here and doing this, and one's turns out to be as good as another's. Yes: They dance (sort of). Yes: They're alive and kicking (showing us this fact seems to be the raison d'etre of many of the senior docs). Mostly though, they're having fun, and that's what keeps them and the movie going.

Of everything we discover here, for me, the most important and surprising are the statistics a propos the relationship between ballroom dancing and dementia/Alzheimers disease. (Second most interesting and surprising is the confession we hear from one of these woman regarding how she fell in love with Caleb and had to learn how to get over this and work it out. This provides one of the more remarkably honest sections I've seen in a documentary of late.)

We hear from Caleb's own parents who also dance, his dad coming late to the game and very definitely in his own good time. "Dancing is just too... gay for me."  (Director Lilla's mom dances, too, and she -- above -- was the prime force behind this documentary.) Some of the women, like Edna, below, may be a little heavy but they're very game, glamorous and fun to watch.

At one point in the film Caleb thanks Shirley, below, right, for making her initial gift to him of $1,000 so he could open the studio in which she now dances. From what we see in Ballroom Confidential, this was a terrific investment for all concerned.

The movie, running just 83 minutes, hits the streets on DVD and VOD (here's the link) this coming Tuesday, February 11.

Susan Seidelman's MUSICAL CHAIRS streams free -- from today through Dec. 31

If you missed, as did most of us, the latest Susan Seidelman offering, MUSICAL CHAIRS, which opened for a brief theatrical run this past March, or its later one-performance stand at New York's Quad Cinema this past November, I bring good news: The film is available for a free, limited-time stream this Holiday Season, starting today, December 17th through December 31st. The film's producer, Janet Carrus, decided to offer the free stream as a unique way to give back this Holiday Season -- by spreading the film's inspiring messages to a wider online audience who may have missed Musical Chairs in theatres this year. To watch the film, simply click here.

I will make no claims for the movie being very good, let alone great, but its generally vibrant New York setting, brought to life by Seidelman (shown below), the film's writer Marty Madden, and a competent cast, make this one a relatively painless watch for folk interested in ballroom dancing, the wheelchair handicapped, and/or further examples of the "other" -- with which Seidelman has peopled her films since her career began.

While this director's biggest hit was Desperately Seeking Susan (from 1985 and which holds up well and was only her second film out of more than 20), my personal favorite is one that wasn't much seen, Gaudi Afternoon, in which she has a delightfully odd story, set in a gorgeous Barcelona, and four class actresses to keep it firing. Here, as elsewhere -- just about everywhere -- in her work, the "other" is front and center. So it is with Musical Chairs, in which one prominent character (played by a sassy Laverne Cox) refers to her/himself as "a black, transsexual cripple."

The film follows a NewYoRican extended family (shown at left) comprised of a suc-cessful restaurateur, his wife and son, and some of their relatives/workers, including the girl to whom mom want to see her son hitched.

Mom is played by Priscilla Lopez (shown at left, front row, and below), whose career pretty much began and hit one of its high points in the original production of A Chorus Line.

A none-too-subtle actress who can be very effective at times, Ms Lopez tends to go for a single note and play it repeatedly. Here, she's the controlling mom par excellence, and when (spoiler ahead!), for the sake of a happy-ending/feel-good-finale (shame on the screenwriter here), she has a out-of-the-blue change of heart, the movie registers as utterly false.

Fortunately, there are some genuinely charming and enjoyable scenes and actors on view in this likable story of the family son (E.J. Bonilla, above, right), who loves both ballroom dancing and the girl he sets his eyes and heart on -- who does, too (Leah Pipes, above, left). Ms Pipes is lovely, and Mr. Bonilla is even better. Sporting a great body and face, as well as good acting chops, this young performer, who was excellent in the still unreleased Four, should only get lucky and be able to give one of his excellent performances in a hit movie for a change -- and thus ensure a lengthy career. Till then, we'll have to hope.

Meanwhile, Ms Seidelman -- whose penchant for feel-good films hit its nadir with Boynton Beach Club -- clearly needs not just good actors but a good script to bring home the bacon. Musical Chairs, while occasionally too ham-fisted to make the grade, is still often surprisingly enjoyable -- especially if you're an aficionado of ball-room dance, Mr. Bonilla and/or Ms Pipes. Again, you can stream it free by simply clicking here -- from now through Dec. 31, 2012.

Seidelman/Madden's MUSICAL CHAIRS gets encore via Int'l Film Fest Manhattan

If you missed, as did most of us, the latest Susan Seidelman offering, MUSICAL CHAIRS, which opened for a brief theatrical run this past March, the movie's back for a one-performance stand at New York's Quad Cinema this coming Thursday, November 15, at 9pm, as the closing night presentation of International Film Festival Manhattan. I will make no claims for the movie being very good, let alone great, but its gener-ally vibrant New York setting, brought to life by Seidelman, the film's writer Marty Madden, and a competent cast, make this one a relatively painless watch for folk interested in ballroom dancing, the wheelchair handicapped, and/or further examples of the "other" -- with which Seidelman has peopled her films since her career began.

While this director's biggest hit was Desperately Seeking Susan (from 1985 and which holds up well and was only her second film out of more than 20), my personal favorite is one that wasn't much seen, Gaudi Afternoon, in which she has a delightfully odd story, set in a gorgeous Barcelona, and four class actresses to keep it firing. Here, as elsewhere -- just about everywhere -- in her work, the "other" is front and center. So it is with Musical Chairs, in which one prominent character (played by a sassy Laverne Cox) refers to her/himself as "a black, transsexual cripple."

The film follows a NewYoRican extended family (shown at left) comprised of a suc-cessful restaurateur, his wife and son, and some of their relatives/workers, including the girl to whom mom want to see her son hitched.

Mom is played by Priscilla Lopez (shown at left, front row, and below), whose career pretty much began and hit one of its high points in the original production of A Chorus Line.

A none-too-subtle actress who can be very effective at times, Ms Lopez tends to go for a single note and play it repeatedly. Here, she's the controlling mom par excellence, and when (spoiler ahead!), for the sake of a happy-ending/feel-good-finale (shame on the screenwriter here), she has a out-of-the-blue change of heart, the movie registers as utterly false.

Fortunately, there are some genuinely charming and enjoyable scenes and actors on view in this likable story of the family son (E.J. Bonilla, above, right), who loves both ballroom dancing and the girl he sets his eyes and heart on -- who does, too (Leah Pipes, above, left). Ms Pipes is lovely, and Mr. Bonilla is even better. Sporting a great body and face, as well as good acting chops, this young performer, who was excellent in the still unreleased Four, should only get lucky and be able to give one of his excellent performances in a hit movie for a change -- and thus ensure a lengthy career. Till then, we'll have to hope.

Meanwhile, Ms Seidelman -- whose penchant for feel-good films hit its nadir with Boynton Beach Club -- clearly needs not just good actors but a good script to bring home the bacon. Musical Chairs, while occasionally too ham-fisted to make the grade, is still often surprisingly enjoyable -- especially if you're an aficionado of ball-room dance, Mr. Bonilla and Ms Pipes. So if you're around Greenwich Village this coming Thursday evening, Nov. 15, stop by the Quad and enjoy. Otherwise, I expect a DVD or maybe VOD/digital platforms will be in the cards at some point down the line.