Mad About Mambo (2000)

Four teen boys on the football team from their all-boys Catholic school in Belfast are girl obsessed. Mickey wants to be a fashion designer. Gary wants to be a magician. Spike wants to be a mercenary. Danny is serious about football and takes dance class to improve his footwork. He is taken with star dance pupil and rich Protestant girl Lucy McCloughlin (Keri Russell). Her boyfriend is a football rival. Her father Sidney McLoughlin (Brian Cox) owns a chain of stores and is a well-known TV personality.It's a rather thin teen rom-com. Keri Russell does some accent work. Her character is self-centered and off-putting. The boy is sweet but not that exciting and a bit dumb. Maybe I'm missing some of the local humor. The movie has a bit of fun but needs more comedy. It's all rather sweet and safe. If this is a bunch of nobodies, this could work as a sweet low-key indie. Keri Russell does throw me off. I'm expecting more heat, more chemistry, more comedy, and more of everything.

Mad About Mambo... an interesting, light rom-com about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks falling for the rich girl. It was all right in its own way, but....... at no time did anyone ever do the mambo! They did lots of Samba and some Rumba, but never was Mambo in it. Strange titling for this movie. I guess Sick For Samba would not have grabbed as well.The film seems to be a neat look into the lives of Belfast residents, but it's not a serious dance movie.For some serious dancing, you'd do a lot better with Dance With Me, or Shall We Dance.

Mad About Mambo may have a cliche plot but it its a good one! Its rolled romance, comedy, finding your path and two sports into a great film!William Ash played his football obsessed, girl chasing character charmingly and left quite a good impression. His film friends were also quite funny. Keri Russell seen on Felicity, played her out to prove worthy character well also. Showing she does have quite an ability - of acting & dancing! Go Keri!Other notable efforts where of Keri Russell's film father, her boyfriend's mother, William Ash's principle, coach, mother and their dance instructor. After seeing this independent film the girls may even get into soccer as the boys may even get into dancing!! A great film and a good laugh - see it.

Okay, so young Danny actually takes samba lessons (maybe they just couldn't find as good an alliteration) but apart from that, this isn't so bad. There's a John Hughes-y atmosphere about the proceedings (and Hughes gets a thanks in the credits) and while the characters are for the most part cartoony (the bullying snob of a boyfriend and his unbearable mother; the nouveau-riche dad who remembers his roots; the necessary line-up of goofy sidekicks - why do lead characters never have completely ordinary friends?), they are played with honesty and charm. The soundtrack is a nice mix of styles, from Cuban to Irish pop. But the climactic dance scene is poorly done; after seeing numerous "Dirty Dancing"-style montages of the characters practicing, and stumbling, and trying again, it would have been nice to see them in full glory as they present the results of their hard work. Instead, there's a jumble of quick editing and close-ups that make it hard to tell what they're doing. Still, a harmless and enjoyable chick flick.