Customer Reviews

Dancer Texas Pop 81 [VHS]

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dancer, Texas covers two days in the life of four members of the graduating class of Dancer, Texas's high school class. (There's five members in total). Dancer is one of those small, forgotten town in West Texas -- the type of town that's watched its fortunes fall along with the oil industry and where everyone, at some point, plans to leave but most never do. The four friends have all sworn to leave after graduation and during this day, they discover the beauty of their past and the hope of their uncertain futures. Its an amazingly low-key film, the type that sneaks up on you and, in its low-key way, is amazingly compelling. You truly get to know Dancer and its 81 inhabitants and understand how they can both love their town and dream of leaving at the same time. With a beautifully written, authentic script, this is one of the most warmly humorous, insightful films about growing up and pursuing your dreams that I've ever had the pleasure to see. The four main characters are played by some very talented young actors and all are wonderful in their own individual ways. Ethan Embry is hilarious as the most eccentric of the quartet while Breckin Meyer gives a star-making performance as the group's leader who is also the most determined to escape. The film's soul is embodied by Peter Facinelli, who reveals a talent that he hasn't been allowed to display since. As the son of the town's leading family, Facinelli manages to perfectly embody the strange middle ground between innocence and wisdom and his scenes with his father are the film's highlight. Shot in West Texas on a low budget, Dancer also features some truly beautiful scenery. Never has West Texas, barren plains and all, looked more like paradise. Perhaps my favorite scene features the four friends watching in awe as a group of wild horses make their way across the plains. Its a beautiful image and the viewer can't help but feel the same awe as the characters on screen.

Finally, a film about Texas that doesn't center on a bunch of pot-bellied rednecks, JFK, football players with overdone accents, or chainsaw-wielding maniacs (and in all fairness, the amount of chainsaw-related fatalities had been on a steady decline for the past couple of years...) I'm a lifelong Texas so I naturally appreciated a chance to see a film where my home wasn't portrayed as the sixth ring of Hell. However, even if you hate the Dallas Cowboys and cringe at just the thought of George W. Bush's drawl, you'll enjoy this sweet, low-key film. Its a movie about decent people that doesn't leave you feeling like you've just sat through a six-hour sermon. Dancer, Texas is one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen.

Four boys who are friends since childhood ponder their lifelong promise to leave the remote, tiny town for Los Angeles when they graduate from high school. One is orphaned and living with his grandfather, another is the child of a life-long alcoholic, another the son of a rich oil man and finally one that is the son of a rancher who intends to pass the business off to his son.

Different boys who become men, all with different families, commitments and hopes that they must deal with. Going from a town of 81 people to a town of 13 million seems exciting and overwhelming at the same time and the four must face the fact that some may stay behind because they want to and some might leave because they have to. It's nothing what any of them had foreseen and it puts their friendship to the test.

The characters are real and if you've ever had friends that came from a small town, these guys will remind you of their most endearing qualities. The film doesn't put a stereotypical slant on these guys... they are educated and plan on going to college. They've heard of the Internet and actually know how to use a computer... they're not just riding broncos all day, chewin' tobacco and leaning on fence posts... but they do have a different perspective on life. They're less obsessed with "things" and more interested in getting out of the small town to meet other people and see how other folks live... and their friendship is the most important thing they have, in or out of Dancer, TX.

For those from big cities who might read this review, I lived in Dallas for 30 years before moving to Denton, a town of 80,000... don't be misled that only folks from tiny little towns will be able to appreciate this film.

My only negative comment would be that the DVD is without any extras. No interviews, cast bios or behind the scenes footage. How about interviews of some of the folks that actually live in the town this was filmed in? Word of mouth will continue to make this film popular in the video market and not having extras on the DVD makes it almost silly to have it on DVD to begin with.

No nudity or foul language, car explosions or light-sabre duels... this is a realistic portrayal of real guys in a small town facing their families, their friendships and their future. If you're into action-only films, this will not satisfy, but rest assured this is not a coma-inducing film. It is cerebral and touching and I highly recommend it.

Those of us who did not grown up in or around a small town certainly know people who did. I, for example, have a cousin from Wartburg, Tennessee. I'm not sure exactly sure where it is, and I certainly can't figure out who gave it that name or why.

Even before television turned the world into a fake global village, the majority of small town adolescents seem to have dreamed of moving to a big city. This yearning is the subject of the story in "Dancer, Texas Pop. 81". Its makers have an interesting point of view on a matter which movies have covered numerous times in the past.

The film opens on the morning of Graduation Day at the local school. Four boys, who are members of the graduating senior class of five, are sitting in lawn chairs in the middle of the two-land road that goes past the town. At first, this seems to be both silly and dangerous. Then we learn that these lads are best friends who, years earlier, made a sacred vow to move to Los Angeles together the Monday after they finished high school. They even bought their bus tickets at the end of their sophomore year. The scene becomes a metaphor for the highway of life.

The movie takes place over a three day period. There is not much of a plot. The only central question is which, if any, of the four will actually get on the bus come Monday. Writer and director Tim McCanlies presents us with vignettes which create four exceptionally strong character studies. In fact, all of the town's residents are shown to be unique individuals. You rarely see so many interesting people in one movie.

Breckin Meyer, Peter Facinelli, Ethan Embry and Eddie Mills, all relative newcomers, show great promise in portraying their characters. These are, respectively, Keller, Terrell Lee, Squirrel and John. Occasionally, Peter Facinelli slips out of character. When he does, it's a little too obvious he's a city boy playing at being one from the middle of nowhere. After all, Jeff Davis County, Texas, where the picture was made, is bigger than Rhode Island and has a lot more cows than people living on it.

Is a place like Dancer really the middle of nowhere? That's the fundamental question McCanlies examines so thoroughly here. With brilliant assistance from cameraman Andrew Dintenfass, the country around the town is spectacularly photographed. There has to be more than scenery to make people live their whole lives in a place, but the visuals in the film help us to see that being nowhere is often a state of mind.

"Dancer, Texas Pop. 81" is as much a comedy as it is a drama. The humor is rarely aimed at people who live in isolated places, Much of it derives from the characters' keen observations on the hazards of living in huge cities, as well as from eccentricities which could exist in people living anywhere.

The philosophy of the movie is probably best summed up in a scene where the four boys are sitting around a campfire. One of them wonders out loud how much they have missed by growing up in a place like Dancer, Texas. Another boy agrees that it's a good question, but then counters by asking what others might have missed by not growing up in such a place. McCanlies is happily neutral on the issue, allowing the film's viewers to decide such questions for themselves.

This movie was given to a friend of mine and we watched it last night, not knowing anything at all about it! A "little" movie to be sure, but a truly fine one! Absolutely WONDERFUL acting by everybody, especially the quartet of young men, none of whom we had seen or heard of before. Maybe I am a bit out of it, or the film came and went in movie theatres so fast I didn't blink quick enough to see it. In any case, the video is well done. Other reviewers here have already the noted the gorgeous scenery and cinematography so I won't repeat what is so obvious to many. As others have mentioned, if you are only interested in explosions, car chases, sex and violence, then this movie is definitely not for you. But should you want an honest story about genuine characters who are the closest I've seen to "real people" in recent movies, then this is the movie you should experience. And it IS an experience: coming of age in a tiny town in a vast wild section of our country, coming to terms with family obligations, fear of the future and fear of leaving behind loved ones, all presented naturally and with complete honesty. The film is by a new director and screenwriter (Tim McCanlies); he should be commended for a thoroughly wonderful, even extraordinary, motion picture. It would have possibly been so easy to go the popular route with new material: spice up the story with all kinds of extraneous and unnecessary plot and personality gimmicks, but instead he has taken the route of sincere and honest truths about growing up, taking responsibility, and making life choices. Hurrah! Well done! Very well done indeed!

This is a nice little film about small town Texas life. It's realistic, touching and funny. Was pleased to learn from "Fort Davis" that the town's real-life residents were used in the filming! The grandfather role was my favorite little "slice of life" from the film. This IS a film about people and their relationships with one another. If you have a Jean Claude Van Damme length attention span and prefer explosions and car chases to well-written dialogue, this movie isn't for you. Good performances from the group of young actors: you can see them paired up again in Can't Hardly Wait. Though that film has a much different character than Dancer, it's fun to see the actors together again!

I had never heard of this movie until its trailer appeared on another film I watched. It looked entertaining. I was surprised by how good it was. One of the reviews referred to it as being low key. It is. It's a quiet movie in that there's no violence, not much cussing and no sex. But, you know what? I like movies like that. This film takes a three day period of time in the lives of four high school grads who are determined to leave their hometown. In this period of time they consider reasons for leaving and reasons for staying. In the end decisions are made for the right reasons.

This is not a bravura movie made to dazzle the viewer through pretentious acting and direction. It's just a soft film that looks at the hearts and minds of these four young men. And, in doing this you see a film populated with kind and caring people you like. And, at the film's end I felt happy. What a wonderful thing to say. I felt happy. What else can you ask for in a film? I am very grateful for the chance that led me to seeing this movie. I recommend it very highly. I strongly suspect you will feel happy at film's end as well. All you have to do is open your heart.

This starts out so simply, but cuts to the heart of the American midwest, having spent my summers there as I child, I understand that mentality very well. My mother was born in a small town in New Mexico, and the people there have a wonderful, if simple charm to themselves. They are caring, yet ultimately unchanging, they can't possibly understand why anyone would want to leave a small town, very much as the townspeople in the movie were.

The four main characters in this film were portrayed wonderfully, by Breckin Meyer(Keller), Peter Facinelli(Terrel Lee), Eddie Mills (John), and the ever charming Ethan Embry(Squirrel). The friendship they had felt real, as if they had really known each other their whole lives. When their oath to leave town after their High School Graduation begins to fall apart when Terrel Lee Announces he cannot leave his family behind, each member examines his reasons for leaving the small town of Dancer. Of course, the truly bright spot in the film is the incredible performance of Ashley Johnson who you might remember from Growing Pains as the youngest member Chrissy. She plays John's little sister, she is simply heart-felt and charming in this role, amazing you with her ability to speak about difficult subjects better than some adults I know. Of course, you can't leave out Patricia Wettig as Terrel Lee's tyrannical mother, even though she only makes about three appearances in the film, she fills the screen with her presence each time.

All in all, this film is a well done venture. I recommend this film to anyone who comes from a small town, or would like to know what one is like, this is your best bet. With so many brilliant performances, and a breathtaking backdrop of Texas behind it, it is simply magnificent.

Having discovered this movie several years ago, I watch it whenever I need a pick-me-up. Shot in beautiful country, it tells the story of each of the town's four graduating high school seniors, with the impact of their decisions for their futures on their families and community. It has funny as well as sobering moments. The sense of caring for one another that can come in such a place makes me want to increase its population by at least 2 (with my husband and myself.)

This was a wonderful movie! You can't beat the cinematography. Fort Davis is a beautiful town! It's such a comforting, feel-good movie. You leave with the feeling of wanting to have that simplistic life. Especially for those of us who live in the "big city". Never enough time to have those long-term relationships and experiences! Have you EVER had an appointment to watch the sunset with friends. Beautiful movie! Go out and get it now!

"Dancer, Texas, Pop. 81" is a loving look at small towns, small-town people, and leaving (or not leaving) home. The characters remind me of those in my own small town, and the small town presented here is like small towns everywhere; it just happens to sit out in the wide-open spaces of Texas. The relationships of the boys with their families are realistic; it's interesting that only one of the boys is fleeing his family. Performances that are particularly appealing are John's little sister, Josie; Terrell Lee's dad; Earl the storekeeper, and Squirrel. Don't forget the magnificent scenery of Jeff Davis County. Anyone who ever left home, or who even wanted to leave home will love this film. You'll walk away with a smile on your face and tears in your eyes.