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Rating:  - whether or not you admit it...
youre going to go through an aspiring-stripper phase after seeing this.
with addictive plotlines, phenomenal dialogue and characters fabulous enough to make you immediately assign one to each of your friends (or at least to yourself) this movie is at very least a guilty pleasure, with star quality to boot.
to top it all off, the choreography is incredible. i recommend watching the behind the scenes, and then maybe renting "The S Factor" (the striptease workout by Sheila Kelley, who plays Stormy).
it's a movie worth seeing, and definitely a great addition to most collections. a serious classic!
Rating:  - Tends to Be Annoying
"Dancing at the Blue Iguana" takes a look at a week in the life (onstage, backstage, out in the real world) of a group of strippers working at the Blue Iguana. I love strippers just as much as the next guy, but these strippers you really don't care about. The movie is apparently improvised, at least for the most part, which is probably where some of the problems lie. The cast of characters includes Jessie (Charlotte Ayanna), Angel (Daryl Hannah), Stormy (Sheila Kelly), Jasmine (Sandra Oh), and Jo (Jennifer Tilly). Each night, each woman gets on stage and dances naked. Thankfully, taking away from the stereotype, when they go back stage they're not all sad and hopeless human beings who think they've failed at life. No, they're all happy people for the most part but they still have their share of problems. Jessie seems to be really lonely, and has apparently not spoken to her family in a few years. Angel is a naive, baby-like, annoying woman who longs to have a baby and finally decides to get a foster child. Stormy is probably the most stereotypical of the bunch, her brother has came into town (he's getting married) and she longs to see him but doesn't know how to approach him. Jasmine is an aspiring poet and Jo is exactly what most of Jennifer Tilly's roles are. The bad tempered rebel of the bunch, who happens to be pregnant. The writers of the film were obviously trying to develop the characters, but they didn't do a very good job of it. Yeah, you know what they aspire to do and everything but there's just something missing from the equation. With the lack of development, few of the characters are even interesting enough to follow through the two hour movie. Out of all of them, it's (surprisingly) Angel that's most annoying. Hannah uses (although, this wasn't what it would be referred to when the movie came out) a Paris Hilton voice and is just really annoying and stupid. If you're looking for a good movie (and this movie is OK, on the entertainment scale) that exposes the lives of strippers off the bar; This isn't for you. If you're looking for a few well known actresses to take off their clothes, then this may be your kind of movie. W. Earl Brown ('Deadwood')
co-stars.
GRADE: C+
Rating: - A MUST SEE!!
This movie touches on many emotions. Great cast. I have watched it at least 50 times and never get tired of it.
Rating: - Dancing at the Blue Iguana
Even though the movie had great star power and they did quite well in their parts, the movie, was somewhat hard to follow. The plots were so intertwined that to follow took a road map which was not provided.
Rating:  - Damn! Mad skillz!
Remember John Lovitz SNL persona and skits where he ends by flinging his arm up and shouting: "ACTING!!!" Well, if you want to see some real ACTING check this film. There is at least one performance in this film you just have to admire. Remember these are actresses playing the role of strippers... this is not a docu-drama. There IS a short film included on the DVD that is the 'real deal' and THAT alone is worth the price of admission. HOWEVER keep in minnd that the actresses are role-playing. Now having said that -- the scene Sandra Oh must play where she dances on stage while crying real tears (including close up shots) is both heartbreaking and impressive. IMHO. HOW does any actor (actress) accomplish such a thing? ACTING!!! Mad skillz... mad skillz to the max! This is a collection very compelling character studies of several prototypical personalities. And yes, Damnit, I'm in love with Sandra Oh!
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