Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2006)

22% of critics liked it
(59 reviews)
60% of users liked it
(4,789 ratings)

Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving,… More Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Randall Miller
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 31, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jul 4, 2006
Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Miller has all but smothered the charm right out of his Charm School.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
The picture trivializes the characters, hinting at depths it can't depict, aiming at a profundity of feeling it can't begin to reach.
Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle
Beyond Wahlberg's deft moves, School's dancing is leaden, not charming, and the only challenge is enduring the film's lumbering progress until it finally clicks at the end.
James Greenberg, Hollywood Reporter
Predictable and decidedly old-fashioned in its sensibility, the film is likely to win over audiences if not critics.
Tom Long, Detroit News
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School may stumble at times, but at least it gets out on the dance floor and has a good time.
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
The film moves like a newbie following a diagram of arrows and shoes and counting out loud.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Yet another ballroom dancing movie presents dance as a universal balm that heals life's problems in this mildly inspired dramatic comedy.
Rossiter Drake, San Francisco Examiner
Why would Frank drop everything to embark on this lunatic mission? Well, the answer is simple. If he didn't, there would be no movie - and perhaps that wouldn't have been such a bad thing.
Kam Williams, Upstage Magazine
A surprisingly-moving message movie about love and redemption filled with sentimental and transformational moments leading to tearjerker of a finale.
Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal International
A miscast hodgepodge of a genre stew.
Wade Major, Boxoffice Magazine
That the film was itself borne out of risk invests its message with an honesty and an authenticity more than sufficient to offset its flaws.
David N. Butterworth, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Utterly charming.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Strong performances and moving themes are drowned in a sea of sentimentality.
Jack Garner, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
I could believe almost nothing of this under-written, over-emoted saga.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
the entire movie is ridiculous
David Cornelius, eFilmCritic.com
This is a wildly ill-conceived jumble, and not even its impressive cast can rescue it.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
There's dancing all right but not a whole lot of charm.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
This is perhaps John Goodman's worst performance.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
... slight and slurry, like a champagne buzz.
Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
In this death-obsessed movie, the characters' lives flash before the audience's eyes - really, really slowly.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

Totally cute and funny.
Curtis L

Stars for having such a great cast. John Goodman plays a memorable character, and it has Ernie Hudson so you know you want some.
Alice S

I absolutely ADORE Mary Steenburgen but she is a horrible dancer. Carlyle was excellent. Rest of film was farfetched and flighty.
Leo L

Great movie. Good story plot that follows a grieving baker who connects with a total stranger's story about ballroom dancing. Great cast. Definitely worthy.
FanGirl B

There's just something about ballroom dancing films, when they're done right they're so good (see also Strictly Ballroom and the Japanese version of Shall We Dance).
Robert F

Interesting. The concept was nice, but there wasn't really anything special about it. Some people will love it (granted, there were a couple of good scenes), but I found it a bit too slow. Marisa Tomei and Mary Steenburgen were good. Confusing though is the fact that on the… More
Interesting. The concept was nice, but there wasn't really anything special about it. Some people will love it (granted, there were a couple of good scenes), but I found it a bit too slow. Marisa Tomei and Mary Steenburgen were good. Confusing though is the fact that on the posters, Danny DeVito is credited along with the rest of the main cast when in fact he only has about three lines at the end of the film. John Goodman pretty much stole the show from the beginning, but his weight always makes me fear for his health. So my advice is only see this if there's nothing else to watch, or, if you're like me and you like Eliza Dushku - I saw a photo of her at the premiere...so I rented it.