Dancing at the Blue Iguana [DVD]

I came accross this film by reading a listmania, and selected it because of the talented cast - Sandra Oh(Greys Anatomy), Jennifer Tilly (Bullets Over Broadway;Bound)& Daryl Hannah(Splash; All the Presidents Women) to name just 3, this film blew me away by the powerful performancesa of ALL the cast, including extras, some of who were actual lapdanders/strippers, they had been cooperative with the cast in creating this movie 70% of which is set within a strip club - The Blue Iguana, although there are lengthy explicit scenes and continuous stripping/dancing throughout the film, one becomes so engrossed in the characters following the twists and turns of their lives, one becomes oblivious to seeing the nudity, instead held captivated with the charisma that builds up.It is an improvisational workshop indie film, which means that the actors are given only the genre of the film and where it will take place, the rest is up to them to create, there is no script, they speak as though they have become the characters they are portraying.It is a beautifully crafted film with flawless performances and sharp editing. The soundtrack is fantastic, suiting the mood exactly.This is an infinitely re-watchable film as it is so multi layered, and with the dvd you get bonus features such as the voice over through the film by both the director and producers, plus a fascinating hour long documentary made by Daryl Hannah about how she entered the world of women who live this way and how they became close, contributing greatly to the authenticity in making the film, they befriended her, opening up this world they live in and inspiring the characters that complete the film.I would highly recommend this film, it is not gratuitous and does not exploit the pole dancing aspect, instead it follows through and delivers a masterpiece that is insightful and quite gripping, right from the start to the very end.

This film is unusual because the actors had to come up with their own characters and improvise as they went along. The film was shot at a real exotic dance venue, hence the name of the Blue Iguana. The film deals with issues that may affect anyone trying to make their way in the world, abusive boyfriends, pregnancy (not a good idea for a poledancer) another one wanting to start a family and another trying a different career path. The film tries to portray the people doing a job just to survive and despite the subject matter there is little titilation to the proceedings. For some reason there is a sub-plot about a Russian hit-man which seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the film.The actresses did their own dancing so all credit to them although with the camera sometimes doing the body-double trick of showing just the bodies without the faces or the faces covered by tossing hair or the dancers filmed from the back one does wonder sometimes. This is not a great film but it is not a bad one either and the unusual method in its making is a fair reason for giving it a viewing.

....by all the actors involved. It smells real, feels real, sounds real, looks real. So well made you think it coud be a proper documentary.This is everything 'Showgirls' wishes it was and everything 'Strippers' isn't.A top film. Commendable. Recommendable.My only disappointment is the highy regarded 'the making of....' doco isn't included - which begs the question: 'Why not?'

The history behind this movie help make it interesting to watch. The fact that much of the script is spontaneous interaction by the actors, much of the dancing is completed by the actors, and the seedy settings make it a worthwhile movie to watch, and appreciate the talent.

After watching Killing Eve starring Sandra I though it may be worth sampling another of her films - it was. This is a great movie and worth watching if it ever pops up on TV.

Okay, but nothing more. A lot of angst and a lot of flesh in this saga about the goings on in and around a pole dancing club. A little too long and drawn out, maybe if it had twenty/thirty minutes shorter, I would have been spared the feeling that the director was indulging himself with a little too much pretension

Excellent film that shows the dancers as being more than just the bodies they display . Dont see so much pole dancing from the actresses , they tend to pout and crawl across the floor . In particular I loved the Jennifer Tilly character . This is however more of a good story than an afternoon titilation .

This film was not great I didn't really expect a classic I came across by chance and only bought it because Daryl Hanna was in it