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Mad About Mambo
  

Mad About Mambo

Starring: William Ash, Maclean Stewart Director: John Forte Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) Format: DVD
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)


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Product Details

  • Actors: William Ash, Maclean Stewart, Tim Loane, Russell Smith, Joe Rea
  • Directors: John Forte
  • Format: NTSC
  • Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00003CWTF
  • For more information about "Mad About Mambo" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Before she became America's sweetheart in Felicity, Keri Russell adopted an Irish brogue and starred as a willowy, wealthy lass with a passion for dancing in this coming-of-age romantic comedy. She's the object of affection for working-class William Ash, a football-loving lad who signs up for classes, hoping to acquire a little of the Latin flair of a Brazilian soccer superstar with moves like Fred Astaire. "We don't run with the ball, we dance," and so does Ash when he falls for snooty class star Russell. Imagine an adolescent mix of Strictly Ballroom and Shall We Dance dropped into 1980s Belfast amid the Troubles, complete with "the big dance contest," romantic complications, and a splashy happy ending.

The charismatic Russell is a fine dancer and shows moxie between icy stares and swoony looks. Unfortunately Ash is never more than a generic, spunky street kid with a heart of gold. Writer-director John Forte injects the working-class edge of British comedies with his off-handed inclusion of political tensions and prickly classist remarks. Nothing too surprising ever complicates the romance as the gritty world melts into an unlikely fairy tale in a silly but rousing climax. The film's not really credible, but Russell's charms and the sheer energy and color of the dancing give it the innocence of an old-fashioned musical amid the tense realities of real life. --Sean Axmaker


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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (3)
4 star:
 (6)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great movie and music!, January 25, 2003
This review is from: Mad About Mambo [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I love to watch this movie over and over again. It has great music. I was very sad to find there is no soundtrack to this movie but I have found a couple of the artists names that have songs on this movie if anyone is wondering. One of the songs "One Night" is from The Corrs and another song that is played at the end of the movie is called "Digge Dime" is from Burlap to Cashmere. You can find those songs on CD's here on Amazon. Check them out! Otherwise enjoy watching the movie over and over again like do. Wish they would release this on DVD at some point.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Soccer, Samba & Irish Eyes Smiling, August 19, 2000
By Jules Brenner (Hollywood, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
In this movie, you'll see the emergence of a movie star. Make note of where you heard it first.

Her name is Keri Russell and she's the 24 year old title character of the TV melodrama, "Felicity". Up from the Mickey Mouse Club, through the soaps, she is the shining virtue of that pretty decent young college angst series, another feather in the cap of the ubiquitous writer-producer David Kelly.

If Kelly has nothing else (and he has much else--including being married to Michelle Pfeiffer) it's recognizing outstanding talent and exploiting all its possibilities, which he's still in the process of doing on TV and here, in a low-budget Irish love story which he produced.

Having said all that, here comes the bad news. The story has little to offer in terms of freshness. It's poor boy meets rich girl set in an Irish town where soccer is king. He, Danny Mitchell, (William Ash), though his build and exploits on the field somewhat belie it, is the nominal leader of his team, striving to get with the bigger, more important, all union team. When his idol, a Brazilian ace soccer player is recruited to the union team and is credited with that phenomenal "rhythm" that is part of Brazilian genetics, Danny, our hero, sets off to learn samba in the local dance studio. That's when he first sets eyes on the lustrous Lucy McLoughlin (Keri Russell), practicing for the big dance competition.

A natural pairing? Ah, but there's a catch. She has a boyfriend, a supposedly great dancer and a basically unfriendly fellow soccer player. Well, enough of the storyline. You probably see where and how it's heading since you've seen this story many times before. Soccer and samba are the only unique elements and they aren't enough to rise above the formulaic, low-budget nature of it all.

There's lots of dance footage and, while a person who is a fan of Russell's might want to see what she can do "on the boards", the over-editing is another distraction. What I saw is that in her stretches and movements she has an exceedingly graceful and poetic line. But her routines are not sustained long enough to judge her overall expertise. This might have been done to mask her (or his) limitations, but I think I saw enough to be impressed with her movements and footwork. It is, perhaps not on a professional level, but her exquisiteness carries the day.

Also impressive is her Irish brogue which had moments of such accurate accenting and diction as to belie her birth in Fountain Valley, California. Born Keri Lynn Russell, one might think she had the accent in her ear from childhood. But, let's see if she can command a different country's idiom in another film that calls for it -- before we make too much of it.

It seems as though there's one English/Irish film brought to domestic shores and theatres every year by one distributor or another. And, perhaps because of canny choices, it becomes a sizable hit, starting with the extraordinary success of "The Full Monty" (1997), followed by a weaker "Waking Ned Devine" (1998). Well, "Mad About Mambo" looks like this year's British import -- though not necessarily this year's hit. Whatever... as a vehicle for Russell's incipient film career, it's got my vote.

Worthy of mention is Brian Cox, playing Sidney McLoughlin, rich father of Lucy and local merchant, in a funny, if one dimensional role. This movie veteran is anything but one dimensional however -- a recent role being Herman Goering in the mini series, "Nuremberg". He's got a list of credits to match the best of them.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars "Now THAT girl would like great in chiffon!", June 19, 2003
By CodeMaster Talon (Orlando, FL United States) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: Mad About Mambo [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"Mad About Mambo" is a slight but fun film starring Keri Russell and William Ash as Lucy and Danny, two mismatched dance partners in modern day Belfast. Russell is a spoiled princess, Ash is a working class football (or soccer, depending on what side of the pond you're on) player, and together they overcome many obstacles, some of which pretty silly, before finally making their dreams come true.

Russell displays a surprising talent for dancing (and accents), holding herself like a dancer and managing the steps with ease. Ash is not as good; but then, he's not supposed to be. The supporting cast is great, with the standout being Danny's fashion-obsessed best friend. The dance sequences are decent but not stellar, with the real reason to see the film being the sweet portrait of Irish life.

For dance-film lovers, I would say this film is well-below "Strictly Ballroom" but well-above "Save the Last Dance". You may also enjoy it if you like romantic comedies or films about Ireland. Enjoy!

Grade: B/B-

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, like a beach read
This movie about a working-class Irish soccer player and an upper-class girl who loves to dance is the equivalent of a good beach read. Read more
Published 5 months ago by N. B. Kennedy

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and moving!
Okay, so maybe you wouldn't watch the movie for the dancing alone -- though that part of it is fun. But the story is so touching. Read more
Published on August 10, 2007 by Madison Q.

3.0 out of 5 stars Warning: No Mambo
Cute romantic comedy - watch it for the romance, for the soccer, for the actors, but don't watch it for the dancing. Read more
Published on December 5, 2005 by Stephi

4.0 out of 5 stars there's no Sound track of this movie??
this is quite amazing movie. really COOL!! not only actors but also the music in this movie!! but i never can find the sound track of this movie! Read more
Published on January 15, 2003 by Rosa

4.0 out of 5 stars If you like soccer....
I'd say this is more of a movie for teens and soccer fans. The plot isnt terrible but what made me like it is the soccer action. Read more
Published on November 28, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A "WOW" Movie
I just finished seeing "Mad About Mambo" on television this morning - this movie was delightful, funny, and overall, an excellent show. Read more
Published on October 12, 2002 by drama queen

3.0 out of 5 stars if only the actors could actually dance
I like ballroom dancing, and that's what I'm commenting on mostly. The plot is pretty typical teen romance -- boy gets girl. Not too bad, not too good. Read more
Published on July 29, 2002 by P. Wu

4.0 out of 5 stars A Guilty Pleasure
When I first saw this movie I thought it was pretty silly. But I have to admit I looked forward to watching it again. Whenever I see it the movie gets better every time. Read more
Published on January 22, 2002 by jstafford172

5.0 out of 5 stars a grate dance movie
It was funny and it had a spin on it. I loved it, I thought it was a grate dance movie. I say this is a must see weather you are a dancer lover or even a dancer hatter you still... Read more
Published on August 15, 2001 by J. Whiston

4.0 out of 5 stars The review
As i played boy 1 in the film "marc mc cann" I know a bit about the flick and it seems very good go see it
Published on March 24, 2000 by Marc mc Cann

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