I must make special mention of Emma Watson, because in her first role outside of the comfortable confines of Hermione, she makes you completely forget that she was ever anybody else but Pauline. It helps somewhat that they've given her platinum blond hair, but she's taken great pains to make sure that she has created a different character. Being a sucker for the work of Shakespeare I have to admit that she won me over completely when she did a magnificent job with a speech from A Midsummer's Night Dream while auditioning for a role.
One of the special features included with the DVD is an interview with young Ms. Watson where she talks about the experience of working on something different for the first time and how it was her objective to leave Hermione behind. Obviously the people behind the movie are taking full advantage of her name to publicize it, as she is the only one in the cast interviewed and it lasts for twenty minutes, but as she proves herself to be an intelligent and perceptive young person and the movie deserves to be seen, it's not something I'd hold against them. Aside from the interview (actually as no one asks her questions it's more like a monologue on Ms. Watson's part) the special features also include some deleted scenes, an excerpt from the audiobook version of the novel, and as a bonus, a limited edition, 9" X 14" mini poster from the movie.
I doubt that there would be many young boys interested in Ballet Shoes, unless they are old enough to have developed a crush on Emma Watson. However, if you are looking for an intelligent coming of age movie to watch with your daughter, with superlative performances, and a refreshing absence of sentimental ballocks, you won't be disappointed. While British television has been responsible for as much pollution as their American counterparts, this movie shows yet again that when they want to be they can produce shows that are miles ahead of anything we ever do over here.
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