Dancing Queen

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