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Such a frustrating disappointment

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Dancehall Queen is one of the best movies to come out of the Caribbean region that has become an underground classic; confirming that there are wonderful stories outside of the United States and Europe that are entertaining and have a universal appeal. Marcia is an ordinary street vendor who has ambitions and the hope to improve her life and that of her family. It is Cinderella with an island twist. The nondescript woman goes through her daily existence scraping out a living in the ghetto. She is presented with the chance to earn a considerable amount of money on her own. She must transform into one of the dancehall queens, the colorful extroverted entertainers whose sensual moves are the pulse of the dancehall reggae scene. It appears that the garish outfits and wigs enable Marcia to hide behind her insecurities and she transforms into a seductress. The film boasts a vicious character, Priest, that can rival any of the villains seen in the big budget Hollywood movies. The actor's portrayal of the rude boy is classic. The Jamaican dialect does not prevent you from enjoying a funny, entertaining film that that captures a slice of life not often seen. It embraces the cutting edge world of dancehall reggae sharing it with the entire world.

This familiar rags to riches tale takes place in Jamaica, where struggling single mother Marcia (Audrey Reid) sells soda pop and beer outside the local dance hall. When her life becomes even more difficult thanks to the lousy men in her life, she takes matters into her own hands and enters a dance contest worth 100,000 Jamaican dollars. The film's premise rests on the rather flimsy proposition that no one recognizes the beer lady once she hits the stage, but the story is thoroughly engaging and the cast are superb. The attractive and expressive Reid is particularly notable, but kudos also to Paul Campbell as scum of the earth bad guy Priest, oily Carl Davis as Marcia's sugar daddy Larry, and Cherine Anderson as Marcia's brassy daughter Tanya. Being a bit of a reggae snob I didn't expect to enjoy the music, but the upbeat dancehall style is catchy and infectious, and the dancing scenes will certainly hold your attention.

This is a good story about how a person can rise up and make something of him/herself.The backdrop of Jamaican culture is brought to life quite nicely and I very much like the cultural influence be it they are pretty subtle. Being from the Caribbean myself, I can very much identify with much of the non-western cultural issues which aren't in-your-face obvious, but are definitely there. It might be handy to turn on subtitles because the accent will be very hard to understand if you have not been into contact with the Jamaican dialect much. The acting is pretty good, with my personal favorite being that of Rude-boy :) Don't expect an extremely good or complex plot, but it is a nice movie to watch.Moral of the movie: You can be or become anything or anyone if you have a spec of talent and put hard work into it. (Which basically is the embodiment of the American dream right?)

No fancy Hollywood production values, no special effects, not even the particularly outstanding acting grace Dancehall Queen. But the movie does have a great score - and I know nothing about reggae, wouldn't even call myself a fan. Add to that the fun of trying to make sense of the lilting Jamaican accent and you've got time well spent. The first few minutes I had no idea what anyone was saying. Somewhere along the line, and I didn't even notice transition, everyone's lines were coming through clear as a bell. It's a treat for the ears, and an interesting peek into the sometimes seamy, sometimes violent, sometimes charming life on the island.