Bootmen (2000)

Charismatic tap dancing Sean tries to find a way out of working at the steel mill. When failure brings him home he starts his own dance group wearing hardhats. He must then find inspiration in the steel mill he once tried to escape.

Director:

Dein Perry

Writers:

Steve Worland (story), Hilary Linstead (story),

Stars:

Vaughan Sheffield, Christian Patterson, Lisa Perry

9 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Vaughan Sheffield	...	Young Sean
Christian Patterson	...	Young Mitchell
Lisa Perry	...	Sean & Mitchell's Mother
Sam Worthington	...	Mitchell
Adam Garcia	...	Sean Odken
Bruce Venables	...	Williams
William Zappa	...	Walter
Catherine Ajaka	...	Walter's Tap Class
Luke Alleva	...	Walter's Tap Class
Kurt Bardrick	...	Walter's Tap Class
Danika Beckett	...	Walter's Tap Class
Angela Blake	...	Walter's Tap Class
Sam Buckley	...	Walter's Tap Class
Steve Coppin	...	Walter's Tap Class
Michael Edge	...	Walter's Tap Class

Storyline

Born charmer Sean Okden gave up tap-dancing when he started working in the steel mill, but as that's going down the hill he grabs his chance being the only candidate in his coastal Australian home town Newcastle selected for a Sidney show. Being sacked soon just for a row with the arrogant lead dancer, he returns to find his girlfriend in bed with his brother Mitchell, and decides to start his own tap-dance group wearing hardhats, which he soon gives an original edge when the steel mill inspires him to weld metal on their shoes and dance on industrial steel, so it the metallic acoustics fit well with a local rock group. Financing their local debut is so expensive, even when the mill allows them free us of its premises -opening some acrobatic perspectives- while even his father won't allow him to touch his mother's inheritance for the project, that the 'Bootmen' need to steal the cheerleaders' podium in a televised sports match to get media attention. Sean generously helps his brother ...

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Plot Keywords:

steel mill | tap dancing | tap dance | industrial zone | male nudity | 

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Taglines:

When you don't know your next step... improvise.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and a scene of sexuality

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 October 2000 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Bakancstánc

Filming Locations:

Marathon Stadium, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$13,133 (USA) (6 October 2000)

Gross:

ESP 1,183,225 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bootmen Productions (Hilary Linstead-Dein Perry), Fox Searchlight Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

Huey: You wanna work with me, you stay outta my fucking business, alright?
Mitchell: Yep.
Huey: Good.
Mitchell: Well, I don't work for you no more, you arse-wipe!

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Dinner for Schmucks/Charlie St. Cloud/Get Low (2010)

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Soundtracks

"Tease Me"
Performed by Paul Kelly

User Reviews

Impressive

I was born in Newcastle where this film was set, and was still living there at the time when this was filmed and when released was very interested in watching it.

All I can say is that Adam Garcia was fantastic and showed his amazing dancing skills - he is also a great singer as well as shown on An Audience with Kylie Minogue last year and he is definitely such a versatile performer and one to watch in years to come.

Seeing areas of where I grew up in Newcastle was surreal and I even recognised some local faces as extras. The theatre they used when Adam's character was in Sydney was really the Civic Theatre which is located in Newcastle.

Sophie Lee has come a long way the past few years and definitely deserves higher recognition - I'm not saying this because she is also a Newcastle girl but I thought she outshone Kate Winslet in Holy Smoke and gave Toni Collete a run for her money in Muriel's Wedding and it was a shame she didn't have a bigger role.

Australian movies are really hit or miss and this is definitely a hit, along with The Dish which was released around the same time. The dancing sequence is heartpounding and this is definitely one film worth a look.