"Dancing at the Blue Iguana" is an interesting film that flies in the face of modern film convention. Instead of flashy editing with hot chicks looking like Motley Crue's "Girls Girls Girls" video, we are given shots in this film that defy the glossy norms of MTV era quick cuts. In particular, one intense scene near the end between Sandra Oh and Kristin Bauer runs what must be an uninterrupted five minutes. This helps create both a feeling of intimacy with the characters and a sense of reality, that we are watching real people. Some plot lines go nowhere or do not resolve. Several characters seem to have no reason to exist in story terms, but not everyone's life out in the real world has a neat, three-act structure. There is involving drama, inspired comedy (Daryl Hannah at the foster parent agency and Jennifer Tilly in a dominatrix session) and a sweetness to some scenes that is refreshing. In the end, the creative folks behind this film apparently wanted to present strippers in a light generally unseen before on film. The filmmakers do not judge, but simply give a window on the worlds of these women. It worked for me; "Dancing at the the Blue Iguana" was a modest artistic success.
Review of Dancing at the Blue Iguana
