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 | australian | family relationships | camaraderie | violence | 

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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:

Bootmen

Filming Locations:

Marathon Stadium, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,133, 8 October 2000

Gross USA:

$31,288

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$31,288

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This marked the big screen film debut for Sam Worthington. Prior to this film he appeared in a few television series and a film short.

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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

Signpost
Written by Phil Jamieson, Pat Davern' and Joe Hansen
Performed by Grinspoon

User Reviews

Pedestrian story but excellent dancing.

When this movie focuses on the dancing, it is amazing and joyful. Unfortunately, far too much time is spent on the extremely pedestrian story of underdog dancers, star-crossed love lives and gang fights.

While the story was trite, the acting and the dancing were superb. Both main male leads do a terrific job, with Adam Garcia (previous film: Coyote Ugly) an absolute standout as the guy with the dream that he makes come true despite the odds.

I'm glad I didn't pay full price, but for a matinee price - you can ignore the story and concentrate on the dance numbers. Those *are* worth the price of admission.