Everybody’s All American

In a true illustration of just how derivative UK films have become, STREET DANCE 3D made £1.8m on opening weekend, with a tally of £2.4m including preview screenings. The film also opened at number two in France and number four in The Netherlands. In one way you can admire the 'David vs. Goliath' strength of this little British film made for £5.6 million totally smashing the shit out of higher profile Hollywood fare like ROBIN HOOD and PRINCE OF PERSIA, but the strength of STREET DANCE 3D's appeal is very much based on the American movies like HONEY, HOW SHE MOVE, FAME and STEP UP (parts 1-3D). I'm pretty sure Allan Niblo and his team at Vertigo Films justified the commercial potential of STREET DANCE 3D by highlighting the penchant British kids currently have for all things seemingly gay and American. I can only blame the maladroit British school system that has looked to America for inspiration and introduced pathetic gimmicks like proms and glee clubs into the humdrum existence of the indigenous comprehensive school routine. The brightsparks at the now slimmed down UK Film Council, who part funded STREET DANCE 3D, are breathing a massive sigh of relief in the hope the box-office victory of STREET DANCE 3D will illustrate their working brilliance and may convince the current coalition-Government to overlook them when it comes to impending fiscal cuts. Commenting on the film's lucky success, John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council said: "The UK Film Council can take credit for co-financing and championing STREETDANCE 3D. [It] signals to the rest of the world that the British film industry is well placed right at the heart of the 3D film revolution. It's another shining example of how Lottery funding can make all the difference in discovering and nurturing new creative talent in the UK."

Hmmm, I guess Woodward has a point, but that still doesn't mean we should celebrate the reactionary nature of the British film industry. They've taken a staple American youth entity, blended it with equal doses of kitchen-sink banality and low-grade cameos of UK talent contest winners, added a dash of 3D novelty and mixed it all together to create an insignificant British mess.