This little Irish romp proves sweet and heartrending about two disabled 20-something guys who form an unlikely friendship at Carrigmore Residential Home and learn about life from each other. Although it features near-equal doses of heart and humour (perhaps a little more heart), it is not a movie that will change anything.
'Inside I'm Dancing' aptly sums up how the resident rebel Rory feels when he arrives to the stir up the sedated life, McMurhpy-style, delivering a well-deserved kick up the arse to the archaic, old institution with fast-paced jargon. Rory suffers from Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy, which means he is permanently confined to an electric wheel chair. Michael, conversely, suffers from Cerebral Palsy which means he can move, but has trouble expressing himself. Needless to say, the two complement each other perfectly and begin a friendship. Soon they are confident enough to move into a flat of their own and hire a personal assistant to take care of them.
Acting performances are all fine and the entire central cast captures the nature of their respective charactersthe naïve, sheltered Michael, the disillusioned leader Rory and the sweet-spoken Siobhan. Yet it needs to be said that James McAvoy perhaps inhabits his street-smart, charismatic role with the most effortless conviction in the film. Although Stevenson does a fair job of portraying his cerebral palsy character, his performance regrettably often tips over into 'staged' and the assigned quirks feel just that. Assigned. Romola Garai however is, as ever, exquisitely emotive and compelling to watch, cementing her position as one of the most promising young actresses of today.
There are many lessons to be learned in the film for its characters and for its audience. When are you truly independent? Is it a physical or psychological state? What are the social implications of being disabled? Rory and Michael are poised on the outside of the world and looking in at all of its temptations and instead of descending into a world of their own, as the 'friendship' premise perhaps suggests, they go to great lengths to integrate into normality, such as barhopping, racing, trying to get arrested and picking up chicks, even their hot personal assistant (Romola Garai) that they hope to get with.
Inside I'm Dancing manages poignant and tearjerking when it tries, which is admirable. The good news is that when things get really dire and tragic, it still never feels as though the film purposely tries to jerk you for tears, but remains effortless and classy in all of its approaches. Speaking of approaches, expect no revolutionary ones taken in this romp. It is not a film that claims to change anythingattitudes or messagesit keeps in the 'low-key' category and this renders it safe, even though a film about disabled people could theoretically be as un-PC and daring as it wanted.
7 out of 10
'Inside I'm Dancing' aptly sums up how the resident rebel Rory feels when he arrives to the stir up the sedated life, McMurhpy-style, delivering a well-deserved kick up the arse to the archaic, old institution with fast-paced jargon. Rory suffers from Duchenne Muscle Dystrophy, which means he is permanently confined to an electric wheel chair. Michael, conversely, suffers from Cerebral Palsy which means he can move, but has trouble expressing himself. Needless to say, the two complement each other perfectly and begin a friendship. Soon they are confident enough to move into a flat of their own and hire a personal assistant to take care of them.
Acting performances are all fine and the entire central cast captures the nature of their respective charactersthe naïve, sheltered Michael, the disillusioned leader Rory and the sweet-spoken Siobhan. Yet it needs to be said that James McAvoy perhaps inhabits his street-smart, charismatic role with the most effortless conviction in the film. Although Stevenson does a fair job of portraying his cerebral palsy character, his performance regrettably often tips over into 'staged' and the assigned quirks feel just that. Assigned. Romola Garai however is, as ever, exquisitely emotive and compelling to watch, cementing her position as one of the most promising young actresses of today.
There are many lessons to be learned in the film for its characters and for its audience. When are you truly independent? Is it a physical or psychological state? What are the social implications of being disabled? Rory and Michael are poised on the outside of the world and looking in at all of its temptations and instead of descending into a world of their own, as the 'friendship' premise perhaps suggests, they go to great lengths to integrate into normality, such as barhopping, racing, trying to get arrested and picking up chicks, even their hot personal assistant (Romola Garai) that they hope to get with.
Inside I'm Dancing manages poignant and tearjerking when it tries, which is admirable. The good news is that when things get really dire and tragic, it still never feels as though the film purposely tries to jerk you for tears, but remains effortless and classy in all of its approaches. Speaking of approaches, expect no revolutionary ones taken in this romp. It is not a film that claims to change anythingattitudes or messagesit keeps in the 'low-key' category and this renders it safe, even though a film about disabled people could theoretically be as un-PC and daring as it wanted.
7 out of 10