Children’s Express Belfast reporters review the locally-made movie Mad about Mambo.
| Daniel, a footballer for a local school team, is a striker who just can’t score. |
When thinking of a romantic teenage comedy set in Belfast our initial reaction wasn’t the most optimistic. We expected tired accents and drab locations in shabbily directed scenes. What we got was something entirely different.
Sunny locations and a witty, well written script earmark this as the best film of the year so far. The story is about Daniel, a footballer for a local school team. Problem is Daniel is a striker who just can’t score. Taking inspiration from a Brazilian footballer who dances his way through the game, Daniel decides to take a few lessons in dancing himself.
Enter love interest, Lucy. Lucy is a snobby Malone reared ‘dah-ling’ to Dan’s poor working-class hero. Dan is instantly smitten but, of course, Lucy is having none of it. Refusing to take no for an answer Dan sets off in hot pursuit of her heart by trying to turn himself into a dance aficionado.
The excellent choreography comes courtesy of Kim Blank, who also worked on Evita. Blank has helped both William Ash and Keri Russell to perfect their dance moves. This is good because dancing is essential to the plot and to the flow of the film.
Neither Ash or Russell are locals (pity), but there isn’t a bad accent between them. Both are seasoned television actors who have made the transition to this, their first feature film, effortlessly. Acting veteran Brian Cox plays Lucy’s down-to-earth father lending the local production the credibility it will need to survive outside of the UK.
Essentially, Mad about Mambo works in the same way as Notting Hill or Four Weddings and a Funeral did — the existence of a feel-good factor which you’re unashamed to be part of. In the last climactic scene, only the coldest fish would not have been egging Dan on.
This is director John Forte’s first feature, but he doesn’t shy away from the task. Mad about Mambo’s strength is that it is packed full of good ideas — you’ll be delighted at how Forte embraces the cliche while keeping events real.
Forte revealed to us that he maintained the bright feel of the film by shooting only on sunny moments of the day. We think it makes this local production as good as any Hollywood film could be. You should get mad about Mambo.
About the team
This article was produced by Drew Mikhael, 18, and Christopher McCartney, 15. It was published in the Irish News.
