Dancing Queen

Had me in tears and still holds charm years later. Story line is good and this could've been extended to a cult classic film

God, I miss Rik Mayall. This perfect 52 minutes of television is Rik looking and acting his absolute best in a fairytale for modern times.

The plot has been outlined well in other reviews. This will have you laughing and crying throughout. Just sublime TV even after 25 years.

There is something about this movie that makes it great.

The storyline is a typical Cinderella story in the present day. The wealthy and successful Neal, played by Rik Mayall, is to marry a spoilt snob in the south of England. His friends mess up his Stag Party prank and Neal ends up stranded in the once-famous north England coastal town of Scarborough. His desparate situation leave him at the mercy of Julie's will.

The film is made humourous by the colourful personalities that are only slightly larger than life than most of the people you might meet in the UK. His priveleged background, arrogant manner make him an unlikeable central character who is rescued by the heroine Julie played by Bonham-Carter. The comic style of Mayall brought on by the stress of the situation absolves his character of being totally disliked.

Julie, despite her low-class ways, is endearing and compassionate and her strong role supports the fairy-tale notion that social class and position are irrelevant to love. Perhaps a more unique underlying plot is that the pursuit of wealth creates a greed and snobbery that stand against real love whilst poverty, respect for the individual and community breeds love and a greater awareness of life... perhaps

Must state I watched this on tv first time it came out,and I had just got in from a drunken night out,something just seemed to resonate with me,hard to describe,but thought it was funny,moving,sad,and what a great soundtrack,just worked for me,have seen it a few times since,and still a really enjoyable TV movie,well worth a watch,great acting from Helena,and must confess I love Scarborough anyway.

Follows a drunken stag night,and what happens afterwards,from the rich to the poor stripper trying to make a living,they get bundled together through a series of events,and adventures,and end up falling in love.

Weighing in at under fifty minutes, "Dancing Queen" really isn't a movie, and it suffers from credibility problems as a result. But thanks to another bravura performance by Helena Bonham Carter, it's worth watching.

Rik Mayall plays Neil, a British yuppie, who's about to get married. At his bachelor party, his "friends" drug him, take his pants off, and stick him on a train to northern England. The woman sharing the compartment is the stripper that performed at the party. Played by HBC, Julie is essentially a feisty working class girl who is "obviously" a better match for Neil than the spoiled rich girl waiting for him at home. Most of the movie is given over to scenes of Neil, with Julie tagging along, frantically trying to get back in time for his wedding. "Dancing Queen" wants you to believe that somehow along the way, Neil falls for Julie. Yet there just isn't enough plot development for that to be convincing.

Nevertheless, Helena Bonham Carter deserves kudos for playing Julie in a very appealing turn as a down-to-earth girl who is completely different from the upper class bluebloods that she's become famous for playing like in "Room with a View," "Howards End," and so many others.

Bottom line: worth a watch but probably not worth buying the tape.