LL Review in the St. Louis Vital Voice
From The Vital Voice (Joshua Barton – staff writer):
Love on the Dance Floor
A Different Kind of Romance in Leading LadiesA dysfunctional family comedy paired with a coming-of-age lesbian musical-romance set on the ballroom floor could be the single-sentence synopsis of this award-winning independent film.
The dysfunction lies in the mother-daughter relationships between sisters Tasi and Toni and their overbearing and demanding mother Sheri. Sheri is a red-headed Italian and a former ballroom dancing queen who chain smokes and bitches as if she were a drag queen. Tasi is the spoiled, prima donna Sheri rides like a stock horse for a ballroom championship while Toni is the more pragmatic, plain jane. The women bicker and butt heads as they prepare for an upcoming championship but along the way Toni finds love on the dance floor with blonde-bombshell Mona forcing her to confront not only her identity but also a stubborn Sheri.
Leading Ladies has floated around the international film festival circuit and for good reason. The film is a refreshing and upbeat take on the traditional “coming-out” story. The choreography and music combined with a lesbian plot line turns what could have been a boring movie into a romantic and charming musical. The acting is fresh and energizing and although it may not be Oscar worthy material the actors pull you into their characters as they move into new territories of relationships and love while dancing across the screen.
Dance buffs will appreciate the bold choreography but even if you have two left feet Leading Ladies is still a feel-good movie with a sweet theme: love leads.
Show Dates
Fri, April 15th at 7:00 PM
April 12th, 2011 at 2:03 am
My heart is a dance floor beating like a disco drum