pigeonca Yes, the plot is predictable and Li's reactions to America perhaps excessively awestruck, but this is probably the best ballet film since "The Red Shoes." In most dance films the director abandons the totality of the performances by inserting closeups of faces and feet, whereas Beresford knows when to just leave things alone. The edits only happen when another point of view is necessary and thus are never gratuitous. Restraint in art is always admirable.I was also amazed by the actors, many of them amateurs, and by the scope of the production. Maoist China appeared authentic to me, having seen many documentary films about the cultural revolution and life during that period. And Beresfords depiction of 1980s Houston reflected the era quite accurately, even if - as some comments here detect - some of the street scenes were clearly shot in Australia. So what!For me and my family, "Mao's Last Dancer" is one of the best films we've seen this year.

filmalamosa I should have trusted my instinct and avoided this movie based on the title. I pictured some sort of feel good propaganda capable of passing Chinese censorship.Li Cunxin a Chinese ballet dancer catches the eye of Ben Stevenson the Houston ballet director who is touring China in the 1970s. Ben brings him to the US as a student and makes him a star. Li marries and defects. In the end he is reunited with his family and makes a glorious visit to his homeland with his second wife. In the final scene he and his wife (also a ballet dancer) freeze in the cliché triumphant glory pose (arms together pointing to infinity) of Chinese opera. It is sickening.Another reviewer said this was paint by numbers for the masses-- Basically accurate. It made millions at the box office. Every cliché known to the genre is in this thing....the sudden need to replace the lead dancer hours before curtain call. The wise sage teacher who supplies the magic anecdotal encouragement to motivate a discouraged student. This is an autobiography--where are the negatives that would make this guy human? The excessive ambition maybe a few dirty tricks he regrets--none of that.I personally hate movies that throw up signs on how the viewer is supposed to feel and think every 10 seconds.The acting directing and story is cheesy (overdone inauthentic exaggerated) Ben Stevenson (Bruce Greenwood) gets an F for unconvincing gay mannerisms he should have studied Paul Lynn. One flaw of Netflix Streaming is you cannot fast forward...however with about an hour to go I began to skip ahead 5 minutes at a time-- it is that bad.DO NOT RECOMMEND

Murray Morison One clever element of this film is the way in which various people who are significant in Li Cunxin's life, tell him stories with a message. The frog trapped at the bottom of a well is one. He hears from a toad at the top of the well that the big wide world is worth seeing.The whole film is a story with a message - and the message is one that uplifts without in any sense being cloying. Beresford, the director, even manages at several stages to invoke the idiom of Chinese revolutionary film and theatre. The scenes actually shot in China are some of the most authentic in the film, which is not uniformly good in this regard. Somehow, the slightly stagy acting of some of the Huston Ballet Company characters, ceases to matter because the lead parts are well carried and the storyline is strong.Li Cunxin defected to America partly for his art and partly for love. The wonders of the materiality of Huston are perhaps a poor substitute for losing your country; yet that country was deeply scarred by the Mao's cultural revolution. To watch the part early on where the benefits brought by Chairman Mao to the Chinese people, are laid out by Party Functionaries, has a dark poignancy, given that today we know he was directly responsible for the death of many, many millions.The dance sequences are done very well and the film pleases at that level as well as a tale with more twists and turns than you might imagine. A film of some subtlety and considerable beauty; recommended.

cultfilmfan Mao's Last Dancer is based on the autobiography of the same name by Li Cunxin. The film takes place in Communist China during the reign of Mao Zedong. It focuses on a young boy named Li, who is one day chosen out of all the other students in his classroom at school to go and study ballet. Li ends up going and becomes friends with his one teacher and soon is chosen to go and perform in America where he eventually grows up into a young man. While in America, Li learns the cultural differences between the states and where he was from in China. With more practice and the support of many people behind him, Li soon becomes one of America and China's best ballet dancers, but while in America, Li misses his family back home and soon will have to make a tough decision whether to stay in America with his new friends and success, or go back to China, and see his family and friends there. As, I mentioned Mao's Last Dancer is based on a true story and before I saw this film, I had never heard of Li Cunxin, or heard his story. I was so glad I saw Mao's Last Dancer though. The film is captivating from start to finish. It was fascinating to see Li grow up in his homeland of China, and learn the politics and cultures there because they do play an important part of the story and seeing how one unlike yourself lives and the country's politics and environment and learning about it was fascinating to me. When Li is in America it is also very interesting because we see him growing up and adapting to American culture, which he was very unaware or not used to having grown up in China because of their different political system and way of life. Li's teenage years to an adult play out just like a typical teenager's in many ways, but Li stays focused on what is best for him and will do anything to achieve his dreams and make his parents back home proud. The story is so intriguing and touching that I really looked forward to seeing how it would turn out for Li and the people he loved and cared about. The film was masterfully put together with a great adapted script and good performances from the entire cast. The sets and production values were very impressive as well, showing the different cultures and look of things between China and America. Mao's Last Dancer is the type of film that draws you into it within the first few seconds and will keep you interested. Also because of the likable and well drawn out characters we get to care for them and by the last half of the movie I actually felt like standing up and cheering at this film because of how beautiful and touching it was, but also how inspirational and well done it was. This film put a huge smile on my face and improved my mood for the rest of the evening. This really is a great feel good film with good morals and a great and moving story. The film is only rated PG, and there is really nothing too much objectionable in here, so I think this would be a great film for whole families to go to. Yes, there are some subtitles when in takes place in China, but none of the words are difficult and I just see this as a film that the whole family will enjoy because it really has something in it for everyone. The craftsmanship of the behind the scenes work of the film, what we see before us and a triumphant story that will leave you applauding and cheering. This film is one if not the best feel good film of the year and it does it without being sappy, or melodramatic and it is actually really well made and fascinating as well. This film was fantastic and along with The Social Network, this is so far the best film I have seen of 2010. Go and see it at once.