Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
82%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: 8 wins & 10 nominations
This heartwarming documentary will win audiences over, as the sheer charm of precocious, enthusiastic children learning to dance resonates from the screen
Mad Hot Ballroom is a documentary that will make you want to put on your dancing shoes and join in on the fun. The film follows a group of school kids as they learn the art of ballroom dancing, and it’s impossible not to be charmed by their enthusiasm and dedication. While the editing may be a bit rough around the edges, the heart of the film shines through in the candid conversations between the kids. It’s a feel-good winner that will leave you with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
Production Company(ies)
Margate House Films,
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG for some thematic elements
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 55m
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Language(s):English, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 2005 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 14, 2012
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
starring Heather Berman, Emma Therese Biegacki, Eva Carrozza, Evangelina Carrozzo, Paul Daggett, directed by Marilyn Agrelo, written by Amy Sewell, documentary, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Joe Morgenstern, Anna Smith, Raven Snook, Matthew Leyland, Nick Schager, Mattie Lucas, Emanuel Levy, Felix Vasquez Jr., Cole Smithey, Jim Lane, Betsy Bozdech, PG rating, American Ballroom Theater, Latin styles, foxtrot, merengue, rumba, New York City schoolchildren, nonprofit group, poor and affluent neighborhoods, transformation, reticent novices, confident contestants, produced by Marilyn Agrelo, Amy Sewell, Dolby SRD, Flat (1.37:1), Heather Berman as Self, Emma Therese Biegacki as Self, Eva Carrozza as Self, Evangelina Carrozzo as Self, Paul Daggett as Self
Worldwide gross: $9,104,327
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $13,874,843
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,852
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,513,069
US/Canada gross: $8,117,961
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $12,371,637
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,555
US/Canada opening weekend: $45,348
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $69,110
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,090
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Emma Therese Biegacki – Self
Eva Carrozza – Self
Evangelina Carrozzo – Self
Paul Daggett – Self
Marilyn Agrelo – Director
Amy Sewell – Producer, Writer
Director(s)
Marilyn Agrelo
Writer(s)
Amy Sewell
Producer(s)
Marilyn Agrelo, Amy Sewell
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
8 wins & 10 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (122) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (19)
A much more sanguine view of cultural diversity emerges in this enchanting documentary…what Mad Hot Ballroom lacks in depth, it more than makesup for in charm and vibrancy.
February 28, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
It will sweep you off your feet.
November 17, 2015
Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
Cute, comical kids help make this ballroom dancing comp-romp a feelgood winner despite inexpert editing.
April 1, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Anna Smith
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Charming if slightly overlong.
February 9, 2006
Raven Snook
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s a tale of tears, triumph and tread-upon toes; it may wear you out, but it’ll put a spring in your step too.
December 6, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Leyland
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
[Its] heart shines through during conversational scenes with the candid children.
November 3, 2005 | Rating: B+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
An obvious labor of love from all involved, it’s enough to make you want to get up and dance, too.
June 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
The Dispatch (Lexington, NC)
Inspiring and enjoyable, this docu chronicles the physical and psychological transformation of school kids of different social classes as they enter into the ‘exotic’ world of ballroom dancing.
March 1, 2011 | Rating: B
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
A sweet, and utterly entertaining portrait of children learning about confidence, achievement, skill, and also understanding the game of the sexes at such a young age.
April 29, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
Charming, poignant and festive “Mad Hot Ballroom” is an inspirational documentary that shows the power of dance to invigorate self-esteem and ambition in young hearts.
April 16, 2009 | Rating: B+
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
The dozen or so whom Agrelo and Sewell chose to emphasize are especially appealing, but nearly all of them are bright, thoughtful, confident and dedicated — a heartening glimpse of the coming generation.
August 7, 2008 | Rating: 3/5
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Mad Hot Ballroom offers plenty of good tango, swing, rumba, merengue, and foxtrot footage, but its best moments come when Agrelo captures candid conversations between the kids.
October 21, 2006 | Rating: 3/4
Betsy Bozdech
DVDJournal.com…
Plot
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes hilarious perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to “ladies and gentlemen,” on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition. Providing unique insight into the incredible cultural diversity that is New York City, this film profiles several kids from three schools (out of 60) at this dynamic age, when becoming that “cool” teenager vies for position with familiar innocence, while they learn the merengue, rumba, tango, the foxtrot and swing.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels doesn’t have anything goofy or funny or odd to say about Mad Hot Ballroom.
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