Billy Elliot (2000)

A talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.

Director:

Stephen Daldry

Writer:

Lee Hall

Stars:

Jamie Bell, Jean Heywood, Jamie Draven

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 55 wins & 56 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Bell	...	Billy Elliot
Jean Heywood	...	Grandma
Jamie Draven	...	Tony Elliot
Gary Lewis	...	Dad (Jackie Elliot)
Stuart Wells	...	Michael Caffrey
Mike Elliot	...	George Watson
Billy Fane	...	Mr. Braithwaite
Nicola Blackwell	...	Debbie Wilkinson
Julie Walters	...	Mrs. Wilkinson
Carol McGuigan	...	Librarian
Joe Renton	...	Gary Poulson
Colin MacLachlan	...	Mr. Tom Wilkinson (as Colin Maclachlan)
Janine Birkett	...	Billy's Mum
Trevor Fox	...	PC Jeff Peverly
Charlie Hardwick	...	Sheila Briggs

Storyline

County Durham, during the endless, violent 1984 strike against the Thatcher closure of British coal mines. Widower Jackie Elliot and his firstborn, fellow miner Tony, take a dim view of 11 year-old second son Billy's poor record in boxing class, which worsens when they discover he sneakily transferred to the neighboring, otherwise girls-only-attended ballet class. Only one schoolmate, closet-gay Michael Caffrey, encourages Billy's desire, aroused by the teacher, who judged him talented enough for private lesson, to train and try out for the world-renowned Royal Ballet audition. Only the prospect of a fancy career unimagined in the pauper quarter may twist pa and big brother's opposition to indispensable support.

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Plot Keywords:

ballet | strike | boxing | miner | class | 

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Taglines:

Inside every one of us is a special talent waiting to come out. The trick is finding it.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material

Details

Official Sites:

Universal

Country:

UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2000 (UK)

Also Known As:

Dancer

Filming Locations:

Canary Wharf Underground Station, Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$215,681 (USA) (13 October 2000)

Gross:

ESP 1,227,765,776 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arts Council of England, BBC Films, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jamie Bell took ballet and other dance classes while in secondary school, which caused him to often be ridiculed by his peers. He used some of these experiences as inspiration while playing Billy Elliot.

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Goofs

Billy's brother listens to music in his room (at around 42 mins) while wearing headphones but in cuts to the father and grandmother in other rooms in the house they hear the music as well. Some stereos allow the use of headphones and speakers together.

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Quotes

Mrs. Wilkinson: Please yourself, darlin'.

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Connections

Referenced in Undeclared: Parents' Weekend (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Town Called Malice"
Written by Paul Weller
Performed by The Jam
Courtesy of Polydor UK Limited

User Reviews

Wonderful!

I had seen the commercials and they emphasize the dancing aspect of the story which is great but there is so much more to this movie. It deals with death and it touches on Mens feelings of loss and what a Man is and even deals a bit with homosexuality. Theres not many times where I sit though the end credits anymore but I was mesmorized. I laughed in this movie and I cried too. The dance scenes were terrific too. The boy who played Billy should get an award hands down for this movie. I watched the emotion on his face and it was amazing. This is the best breakout performance by a young boy since haley Joel Osmant in Sixth Sense. I have to say I just loved Julie Walters too. Where has she been since Educating Rita. Inspite of the swear words this is a movie that families should see. Its hard to believe this gets an R rating and movies like Scary Movie get...only R ratings. I dont get it. Strange that two of my favorite recent movies are from the British...This and Croupier. Word to Hollywood, make more movies like this or at lease import more like this. Dont miss this one!