MovieChat Forums > Inside I'm Dancing (2004) Discussion > Anyone else hate this as much as me?

Anyone else hate this as much as me?


I was so disappointed in this film. I was expecting to see an amusing, sensitive drama but within minutes of it starting I knew it wasn't going to happen. Stephen Robertson's performance was excruciatingly bad. In fairness it was a difficult role and would have defeated many better actors, but Robertson's portrayal was dreadfully unconvincing nonetheless. The film just felt like an attempt to be "worthy" without any consideration being made for making it a decent film.

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I wouldn't describe it as excruciatingly bad. Go watch a couple of Madonna or Brigitte Nielsen films to see how to really pull off an excruciatingly bad performance. And as someone who works closely with people with cerebral palsy, I can assure you that his performance was anything but dreadfully unconvincing. Not 100% accurate, but a damn sight better than you make it out to be. Go watch it again, you might change your mind.

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I concur, Balajazz. I had a friend with CP years ago, and Robertson's performance is pretty nigh straight on. I especially like that we we're able to begin to understand his speech as time goes on, just like characters in the film. And in those instances where no translation is done and we absolutely need to know the words, he makes sure we get those just fine. Excellent work.

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I concur with you also! :)

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it was an exccellent film.the actors were fine despite it being a hard role to play.i couldent see anything wrong with it.
10/10

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To : chancellorvalorum - I couldn't disagree with you more.

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I also couldn't disagree with you more...Steven was just...so...spot on, really...

To each their own, I suppose...

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"Look, if I said somethin' earlier to offend ya' or anything... good!"

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I loved the performances as well, which were rated highly by almost all reviewers featured at Rottentomatoes.com.

Incidentally, the movie won the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival 2004.

I'd give it 3 stars overall, and 4 stars for the performances of McAvoy and Robertson.

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I think you're bluffing and wrote this to see the responses.

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I agree, the commentor who slated it, did it for reaction purposes alone...

I saw this film for the first time yesterday, it was outstanding. My mother has been in a wheelchair for years and I saw so many of the prejudices and difficulties she has to over come in every day life, depicted in this accurate and moving story

James McAvoy is going to be a big star...

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I couldn't disagree with you more. As someone who has CP, I thought Stephen Robertson nailed his performance. So much so, that I really thought he had it. There's nothing in his bio, and judging from the list of his other roles, I'm guessing not. He was brilliant. I never for a moment spotted anything that made me say "Oh, yeah, he's acting."

I found this film to be one of the best I've ever seen about the disabled. I'm not one who enjoys the prevalence of the F word, but I was able to overlook that for this film. There was no syrupy sentimentality in the presentation of the lives of disabled people. It was very real and convincing. Excellent film.

I first saw James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus, and watched this film because I recognized him. I'm so glad I did. He deserves to be a star.

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This was a moving film. Very grounded.

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This was an excellent film. Robertson mastered his role, it was amazing. i give this movie a definite

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I stumbled on this film by accident, it was posted on on demand, and i was having another round of insomnia, this movie didn't cure it, I was hooked, I could watch this movie again and again. We all could learn something from those 2 guys.

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i watched it on TMN, good watch. it actually distracted me from studying for exams i'm doing :D

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>As someone who has CP, I thought Stephen Robertson nailed his performance. So much so, that I really thought he had it. <



I just saw it again as "Rory O'Shea Was Here." I had forgotten how powerful this movie was.

But about Stephen Robertson, I thought he had CP too!

Brilliant film. Both guys were amazing. I had forgotten thst McAvoy was in this. He looks like a little kid.




God save Donald Duck, vaudeville and variety

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It's definitely a different look from what he has now! It's hard to remember when I thought of his "Rory" look as the way he actually looked all the time. I've grown used to his more mature features and brown hair.

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Yea, I didn't like it much at all. Granted, its hardly at all the kind of movie I was in the mood for or was expecting to watch. No offense, 'n I suppose if people with CP think its great they're much more of an authority then I am, but I thought they used disabilitys to pull heart strings and create an air of being cutting edge. Not all the time at all, but some scenes just seemed to follow the hollywood situitational line a little too much.

The Plot is like this: lets put the disabled people in different situitations where you never see disabled people and see how it works. I dunno, its just got a little too much See No Evil, Hear No Evil in it, if you remember that flick. I think a lot of this could have been cut and it would have ended up the same movie. Again, maybe I'd appriciate it more if I had gotten what I expected.

On the other hand: had this had a big name actors or two it would be up for oscars.

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I expected the outcome, easy to predict. I thought the acting was excellent. I'd never seen James or Steven in any other movie, and I had to see if Steven really was disabled. I have worked many many years with disabled adults, and I have a brother and aunt with CP, and he got it.. Move over Arinie and Forrest Gump, this guy can act.

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Yea, theres a lot of exploitation of things like this in hollywood. Someone plays a challanged person to solidify them as a really skilled actor. I think its totally true though that the acting in this movie was pretty often not really to blame as much as some of the situitations and the script. Again, with a big money production someone could make it an oscar film, but mostly because anyone playing roles not beautiful, intellegent or generally with a major flaw (Rene Zellwegger, or, Kidman wearing a fake nose??), anyway, these things get big hype. I just thought a lot of this movie was a little contrived.

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I'm a big horror fan myself.But thought i should see this for a laugh.I thought it was extraordinary.10/10

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It seems we are fed up too much with Hollywood craps and disturbing "star"s. It is true that many of the "star"s that can not act have chosen flawed roles to "show" how "good" they are and to win the stupid Oscar. I always think it is ridiculous because I never believe a "star" is equal to a GOOD actor/actress. I've watched Forrest Gump because people say it's good. Yes it is good, but I know from the very begining to the very end that it's just a film and Tom is acting. And for "Inside I'm Dancing", I thought I couldn't finish it at the begining because the actors are no good looking at all, and a rebel Rory with a can't-speak-properly Micheal might be boring. And I agree the directing and the screening are just so-so. But to my surprise, when the film came to the end, I simply can't forget it anymore. I don't absolutely agree the main idea of the film but I think the acting is very touching. I don't know why some people say it's contrived. To me, maybe "Forrest Gump" is contrived, but for this one, not at all! We don't have contrived "star"s in this one, we only have really good actors ^^

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Forest Gump is contrived, but it acknowledges that and delivers its product honestly which IMHO makes its a tremendously better movie then this. This movie is trying so hard to make statements while Gump is just trying to tell a story. Honestly, I'll never understand why so many people have a hate on for Gump. Its a pretty touching love story piggy backing an exposition of post modern American history that related to almost an entire society's sense of place at the time it was made. Not to mention a uber fantastic sound track.

What I liked about it too, to contrast it with this movie... it didn't try to make you pity Gump because he was disabled, it made you have empathy for him as a person. Sure, this movie is way more realistic then Gump was, no question, but I totally maintain that it used their disabilities to manipulate the viewers emotions and almost guilt them into it with more then a few too many melodramatic scenes. When directors do that it doesn't really matter what the subject is, I get really bored. It makes it pretty difficult to relate.

With Gump, you don't feel bad for the guy because he's disabled. You feel bad for him because the only girl he's ever loved doesn't love him back. And, to credit this movie too, which I think I've mentioned before, I think the best part of the whole thing, is when he tells his nurse he loves her even though he knows she won't return his feelings. Its real and totally human and touching and makes total sense being there. Not a random episode scene cooked up to make you feel bad/good for them. Especially the marketing department who sent this over here changing the title and categorizing it as a 'brilliant comedy'.

Again, I think the problem with the film is just the editing/script/direction... things like that. A lot of people have flamed me like I'm a bad person, but really, wouldn't it be a little more insulting if I said a movie I found agonizing was good just to handle the disabled people reading the forum with kid gloves? I think Rory O'Shea, honestly, would be down with me telling him I thought his biopic movie stunk. He's certainly see through my BS if I told him otherwise, and judge me for it.

My .02 anyway.

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"Forrest Gump" is one of the contrived films that I DID enjoy... I don't hate it at all, actually, I LIKE it. And I like "Inside I'm Dancing" as well.
I think it's very unfair debasing "Inside I'm Dancing" by taking "Forrest Gump" as contrast. They are TOO different! "Forrest Gump" is a very typical Hollywood master piece, with great invest, brilliant CG and famous Tom. "Inside I'm Dancing" is on the contrast a quite small film with not much invest, quite plain screening, and no big stars.
I enjoy the comical and hilarious “Forrest Gump”. But its very unreal, such sort of things could never happen in real life. I call it “American Miracles”.
“Inside I’m Dancing” is not as hilarious as “Forrest Gump”, it’s much more real. BUT if you think it wants you to PITY the disabled, I guess you don’t get the main idea of it. To me, “Inside I’m Dancing” shows that the disabled should be treated as everybody else, they have their own mind. What they need is our respect, but NOT pity!

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"Forrest Gump" is one of the contrived films that I DID enjoy... I don't hate it at all, actually, I LIKE it.


Oh, sorry, I was not implying anything about you, you just kind of got me thinking aloud about the odd reaction to that film. There was this backlash against it.

And I like "Inside I'm Dancing" as well.
I think it's very unfair debasing "Inside I'm Dancing" by taking "Forrest Gump" as contrast. They are TOO different! "Forrest Gump" is a very typical Hollywood master piece, with great invest, brilliant CG and famous Tom. "Inside I'm Dancing" is on the contrast a quite small film with not much invest, quite plain screening, and no big stars.


Totally agree with you. One of the really cool things about film, that I like anyway, is that you can spend 100 million and make a *beep* film or 3 million and make a stellar film. What counts at the end of the day is whats on the celluloid. So I do get you're point and in all fairness do agree, but you've gotta hold 1 films up to all the others regardless of funding.

I enjoy the comical and hilarious “Forrest Gump”. But its very unreal, such sort of things could never happen in real life. I call it “American Miracles”.


Yea, all of it. But the core story... Forest being in love with his childhood friend his whole life and eventually getting her, I don't think thats impossible. Theres a bit of fantasy going on with everything he accomplishes but thats what it is.

“Inside I’m Dancing” is not as hilarious as “Forrest Gump”, it’s much more real. BUT if you think it wants you to PITY the disabled, I guess you don’t get the main idea of it. To me, “Inside I’m Dancing” shows that the disabled should be treated as everybody else, they have their own mind. What they need is our respect, but NOT pity!"

Yea, I agree with that too, to an extent. I still think there are plenty of tugs at the heart strings in this movie. If that was their intention, for me anyway, I think it failed cuz all I could think of was how sorry I felt for those guys. Its been a while since I watched it so I don't really have examples to give you, but there it is.

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To even mention See No Evil, Hear No Evil in relationship to this movie is disgusting. Literally, disgusting. The former is a crass, vulgar and in my opinion humorless "comedy" (yes, it's only my opinion). There are plenty of disgusting films that ridicule disability ("Me Myself and Irene", just about any "hilarious teen comedy" nowadays), but here's one that doesn't: "Inside I'm Dancing" is warm, honest, genuine, and far from being a manipulative "pull on heartstrings", it shows life with a disability as it really is. Can you please qualify your statement that "some scenes just seemed to follow the hollywood situational line"? Which scenes?

As to "situations where you never see disabled people", try opening your eyes and spending some time with the disabled. You'll see that, in fact, they've been in MOST of these situations - yes, perhaps to a less cinematic degree, but this IS cinema after all. My girlfriend has CP. I work with others who have CP, and a host of other disabilities, every week. Do you want to know how many disabled people I know who've rocked out at Reading Festival (a British version of Woodstock)? How about disabled people who hit the bars in the centre of town on a Friday night? Believe me, there's nothing fake about this movie.

With regard to "bad acting", well, I'd one hundred percent believe Michael genuinely had CP. I rate the performance at least as good as Day Lewis in "My Left Foot", and possibly better.

It's fine to dislike "Inside I'm Dancing" - but I think it's way out of line to criticize it for being unrealistic or ridiculous.

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...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417791/usercomments-43

Dave.






The winner of today's mystery meat contest guessed "some kind of beef" ...

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"To even mention See No Evil, Hear No Evil in relationship to this movie is disgusting. Literally, disgusting. The former is a crass, vulgar and in my opinion humorless "comedy" (yes, it's only my opinion)."

Richard Pryor is hilarious. Sorry. This is also a buddy movie centered on placing two people with disabilities in situations you don't normally see those disabled people in for dramatic effect. I don't think a comedy is 'disgusting'.

"There are plenty of disgusting films that ridicule disability ("Me Myself and Irene""

Except that the Farrelly Brothers usually hire 'real' disabled people to play their disabled parts instead of actors who fake it... so disgusting to imagine that disabled people might have a sense of humor about their own lives, you know, like everyone does.

"just about any "hilarious teen comedy" nowadays), but here's one that doesn't: "Inside I'm Dancing" is warm, honest, genuine, and far from being a manipulative "pull on heartstrings", it shows life with a disability as it really is. Can you please qualify your statement that "some scenes just seemed to follow the hollywood situational line"? Which scenes?"

Oh, pluuzzee. Two disabled people go to a club in their wheelchairs, hit the dance floor and hit on sexy girls for kisses? Yea, thats realistic.

"As to "situations where you never see disabled people", try opening your eyes and spending some time with the disabled."

Like my father? who spent 15 years in a chair, Okay, remind me to do that.

"You'll see that, in fact, they've been in MOST of these situations - yes, perhaps to a less cinematic degree, but this IS cinema after all. My girlfriend has CP. I work with others who have CP, and a host of other disabilities, every week. Do you want to know how many disabled people I know who've rocked out at Reading Festival (a British version of Woodstock)? How about disabled people who hit the bars in the centre of town on a Friday night? Believe me, there's nothing fake about this movie."

Umm... I didn't buy it. Let me see... I've spent stupid ammounts of time in clubs but have never seen someone with downs or huge speech problems or something hitting on the hot girls in the bar. Bars are shallow ass places, not me. And that was only one scene... this flick had a bunch of 'lets see the disabled people trying to do something everyone does but takes for granted so we can feel sorry for them" moments. Him getting a crush on his nurse was realistic... hitting the bar (or a bunch of other scenes) were not.

"With regard to "bad acting", well, I'd one hundred percent believe Michael genuinely had CP. I rate the performance at least as good as Day Lewis in "My Left Foot", and possibly better."

I would not.

"It's fine to dislike "Inside I'm Dancing" - but I think it's way out of line to criticize it for being unrealistic or ridiculous."

Again, I would not.

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'Oh, pluuzzee. Two disabled people go to a club in their wheelchairs, hit the dance floor and hit on sexy girls for kisses? Yea, thats realistic'

I don't know if it's your age but you are being VERY ignorant. Don't talk about things you appearantly don't know anything about! This is happening ALL the time and please don't make me come up with examples because it'll take me some time

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>To even mention See No Evil, Hear No Evil in relationship to this movie is >disgusting. Literally, disgusting. The former is a crass, vulgar and in my >opinion humorless "comedy" (yes, it's only my opinion).

Hmm... they are both buddy movies following generic/episodic situational plotlines. Its not that the specific situations have been done before, its that every scene was either trying to wrench your gut, or was like the little engine that could. Its not that the whole movie is like that either, but I just don't buy these guys hitting on girls in a bar the way it was portrayed (or some of the other scenes). BTW, Richard Pryor is 'funny'.

>There are plenty of disgusting films that ridicule disability ("Me Myself and >Irene",

I think you're not too fair to the Farreley brothers here. Seriously, they say want to be treated normally? Normally, we make fun of our faults in our art, so they treat people with disabilites like normal people by making fun of them. They get actors with real disabilites to play the parts too. They say if its okay for Chris Rock to lighten the edge of the black man's history by making fun, its okay for a fat person or a kid with downs to do it too.


just about any "hilarious teen comedy" nowadays), but here's one that doesn't: "Inside I'm >Dancing" is warm, honest, genuine, and far from being a manipulative "pull on >heartstrings", it shows life with a disability as it really is. Can you please >qualify your statement that "some scenes just seemed to follow the hollywood >situational line"? Which scenes?


Like I said above, its got cache 'buddy movie' scenes. Buddys go to a bar. Buddies do whatever. Its been a while since I watched, but I'm fully confident that this movie pulls your heart strings. Its screaming 'look at how hard it is for them' constantly. And thats not to say it isn't hard. 1. I have no idea. 2. I've no doubt it is. I just think they played that card too much to create drama in their movie.

As to "situations where you never see disabled people", try opening your eyes and spending some time with the disabled. You'll see that, in fact, they've been in MOST of these situations - yes, perhaps to a less cinematic degree, but this IS cinema after all. My girlfriend has CP. I work with others who have CP, and a host of other disabilities, every week. Do you want to know how many disabled people I know who've rocked out at Reading Festival (a British version of Woodstock)? How about disabled people who hit the bars in the centre of town on a Friday night? Believe me, there's nothing fake about this movie.


Hmm... my father was in a wheel chair for the last 10 years of his life. So is the stroke survivors club my mother ran with him. I didn't say it was no possible, I said its a little far fetched.

With regard to "bad acting", well, I'd one hundred percent believe Michael genuinely had CP. I rate the performance at least as good as Day Lewis in "My Left Foot", and possibly better.


I suppose. I'm no authority on the subject at all. And I think I said earlier that with more money and a better script, maybe I'd have really gotten into it. I know that half an hour into the movie we checked the time expecting it to be like, 1.5 hours. It dragged. Maybe if my GF had CP and if I was intimately involved like you were, I'd be facinated with a million subtleties, but I'm not so perhaps its my failing. DD Lewis was phenomonal. But again, My Left Foot was a stupidly good movie for a whole lot of reasons besides him. I'm not sure even you would say both these movies are on the same level all things considered.

And for that matter, you might hate me for saying this, but behaving abnormally in a movie is considered an easy gig. ie: Sean Penn in I Am Sam can jump around and flail a little pretending to have a speech problem. Its easy because it stands out so obviously and they know no one will call them on it because to do so appears so horribly callous (you know, like I appear now for critisizing a movie about CP). If you agree with me on anything, please agree that a wack of movies play this card to generate revenues. Its guarenteed cache and they cash in. Thats without including any specific movie in the club. Personally, I find these way more repulsive then light humored movies like The Ringer or Me Myself And Irene.

This is why I'm kind of menh when actors get huge acolades for movies like that. Hard acting is all about subtlty and being able to change the feeling of whats happening without anything overtly being changed. Thats not really this movie I guess, its just a lot of movies with people playing the disabled.

It's fine to dislike "Inside I'm Dancing" - but I think it's way out of line to criticize it for being unrealistic or ridiculous.


I dunno, it didn't seem realistic. Some of it was. Him falling in love with his nurse. Very realistic. I don't want to bring up the bar scene again, its just the only one that stands out in my mind. I almost expected them to go to vegas or something though.

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To Ungoliants_Burning_Belly, I think you just don't see enough disabled people actually "living." Just because you don't think the situations seem realistic just means you haven't seen them. Although, why us disabled people can't go to a bar or club, seems very dumb. lol As if bars are so unique that we can't wheel in. As for hitting on women, some like us for our minds. My third leg works as well as the next guy too. :)

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To Ungoliants_Burning_Belly, I think you just don't see enough disabled people actually "living."


Oh, other then living with my disabled father for years and personally knowing all the people he rehabbed with... yea, no exposure at all.

Just because you don't think the situations seem realistic just means you haven't seen them.


No, it means I think its bull because its portrayal is not realistic. Sorry, but this is reality here. Someone who's disabled can hit the bar, and it happens. Duh. If someone who can't speak properly hits on a hot girl in a bar, they're going to be repulsed not accepted into the group while their disabilities are looked past while they make out in the booth for a while. Its sad, inside people are more then that, but people are shallow, small and pathetically simple. Hot girls in bars don't behave this way.

Although, why us disabled people can't go to a bar or club, seems very dumb.


Agreed. Point out someone who said they can't for me so I can ridicule them.

lol As if bars are so unique that we can't wheel in. As for hitting on women, some like us for our minds. My third leg works as well as the next guy too. :)


Kudos. Disability is just that. It does not destroy someone. However, I'm also willing to bet that you can communicate with people without a translator. The particular way they showed these things happening in the movie, I really just don't buy that happening. I think my original thought about this movie is that they used his disability to pull your heart strings and create drama, which I'll stand by. Movies like this rarely get criticized seriously because people point fingers about you being a monster for being critical because if you don't like it, you're unsympathetic and heartless. I'm neither, but I'm honest.

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...definetely agree with the tread's starter...another "larmoyant" handicapped-movie with no interest...bullshiiiit...still the best movie I watched about the handicapped world remain "Fortune Express" http://imdb.com/title/tt0099604/
with great actors especially the main protagonist and young Thierry Fremont as a tetra caracter...to watch absolutely instead

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