Movie Review - Marilyn Hotchkiss'

Saturday, I went to go see Marilyn Hotckiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (heretofore called "Marilyn"). The movie features recognizable faces like Mary Steenburgen, Marisa Tomei, and John Goodman. The movie centers around John Goodman's character, who is trying to fulfill a childhood promise (made 40 years ago) with his high school crush (played by Camryn Manheim). The promise was that they would meet each other at Marilyn's, where they first learned to dance. Intertwined in this story, is the story of Frank Keane and his struggle to live life after the death of his wife.


It's a quirky little ensemble dramedy that's fun to watch. If you've ever taken dance lessons before, you will appreciate the scenes that take place at the school. Steenburgen plays the instructor, who is the daughter of Marilyn, still living in her shadows. The characters in this film are believable as people from all walks of life, who unite every Thursday night for dance lessons. The film also tackles death, in both how people deal with it and how it affects people's lives going forward.

As I assign ratings to the movies I watch, they all start out as 10's, then I start subtracting based on what I didn't like in the movie. This movie is getting a 10 from me. It was a great movie that left me tapping my foot and smiling.