 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Bootmen" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Bootmen | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Dein Perry |
| Written by | Steve Worland Hilary Linstead Dein Perry |
| Produced by | Hilary Linstead Antonia Barnard |
| Starring | Adam Garcia Sophie Lee Sam Worthington |
| Cinematography | Steve Mason |
| Edited by | Jane Moran |
| Music by | Cezary Skubiszewski |
| Distributed by | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Countries | Australia United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $2,720,302 |
Bootmen, known asTap Dogs in Japan, is a 2000 Australianromantic comedy film directed byDein Perry. It starsAdam Garcia,Sophie Lee, andSam Worthington in his film debut.
Sean and Mitchell are young adult brothers, having grown up in the rugged Australian steel city town of Newcastle. The father is a tough coal miner and they have no mother. Mitchell is a small-time criminal, while Sean dreams of being a professional dancer. Their father does not approve of Sean's dancing, so he hides his passion. Sean meets local hairdresser Linda at a dance class and falls in love with her. Things look promising between them, but Sean leaves to make his mark. Mitchell confesses his love for her and she thinks Sean has left, so they end up getting drunk together and having a one-night stand.
Meanwhile, Sean gets a role as a dancer in a show. The star's girlfriend flirts with him and the star gives Sean a difficult time, culminating with Sean outdancing him. They get into a shouting match. Sean punches the star and is fired.
Sean returns to Newcastle and tries to pick up where he left off with Linda, only to be told that she is pregnant with Mitchell's child. He breaks ties with both Linda and Mitchell, creates his own dance troupe and plans to show the people of Newcastle what they can do. Their father's work is closing, and the workers need money to retrain so Sean plans a benefit show.
Mitchell gets in trouble with local thugs and escapes on his motorbike. They later catch him in a warehouse and he plunges to his death. The police immediately charge the culprit. Sean, depressed over the death of his brother and that he was unforgiving, thinks about quitting until he finds a tool that Mitchell designed, solving a technical problem with the show. Realizing that his brother believes in him, Sean is determined to honor his memory. The show goes on.
They charge $10 a head and estimate 5,000 patrons will attend the event, even Sean's proud Dad who now accepts his son as a dancer and tells Sean even his mother would be happy. Sean realises his dream of being a respected dancer, reconciles with Linda and pledges to help take care of his brother's child.
The film was funded by theAustralian Film Finance Corporation. Production took place from 19 June to 18 August 1999 inSydney andNewcastle. It was shot by cinematographerSteve Mason.
It was the debut film of Dein Perry, who was previously involved with stage shows such asTap Dogs andSteel City.
The film was distributed byFox Searchlight Pictures, and was released in Australia on 5 October 2000 and
It is also known asTap Dogs in Japan.
The film was released on home video on 27 February 2001 by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
TheBootmen Soundtrack was released byRCA Victor in 2000 and composed byCezary Skubiszewski and other various artists.
Bootmen grossed $2,720,302 at the box office in Australia.[1]
Onreview aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 39% based on 17 reviews, and anaverage rating of 4.90/10.[2] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 14 critics.[3]