The Tango Lesson (1997)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Don't listen to the negative reviews

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I was very interested to see this film ever since starting to learn Tango. The reviews seemed favourable enough and the trailer was enticing. Regrettably, it is not a film I can appreciate. It is messy, uneven and pretentious. The plot barely makes sense, the scenes from a supposed film that the protagonist is working on are beyond absurd and the only saving grace is dancing. I only wish there would be more of it and much, much less of the rest. Unfortunately, the learning process is mostly omitted and the protagonist becomes this amazingly proficient dancer all of a sudden - which is implausible to the point of ridiculous - in reality it would take her a minimum of 5 years of intensive work to be able to dance like that - Tango is an incredibly complex and demanding dance, there are few dance forms that are harder (perhaps Ballet and Flamenco). My advice to the viewer is to fast forward to the dance scenes - this way avoiding the waste of their time and being disappointed.

Terrible acting by Potter and a flat plot with no tension what so ever. And as for the feminist polemic, it's laughable. I saw this garbage when it was first released and though I found it tedious beyond belief I'm glad I did go to see it. That's because I now have an immediate answer to the question 'what's the worst film you've ever seen?' Plus, I have the comfort of knowing that every film I see for the rest of my life will be better than The Tango Lesson. But I have to admit I was impressed with the way Potter wrote a script that would garner the maximum number of arts council grants from around the world (as is revealed in the closing credits).I only very recently saw Orlando and I can see how Potter learnt the wrong lessons from making that film. All it took was a bunch of frilly costumes, a few hard stares to camera by the leading lady, and a loose plot to seduce the cinema going public. So why shouldn't she think she could get away with the self-indulgent nothingness that is The Tango Lesson?

My wife and I are Tango lovers! This movie takes you to a level of dance that is truly entrancing. The scenes are mesmerizing as the dance steps unfold. We have rented the video several times AFTER we experienced the movie at a local Cincinnati "art theater". Sally is wonderful! We agree that the plot of the movie takes the viewer into a secondary premise. There is the mystique of the various models who have bright color gowns or dresses on them. Then, the quick segue from dance to model can be confusing for the viewer. We felt that the overall sensations of the movie were true dancing, and the will of a person trapped in the routine of daily job expectations can drag one down into depression and ennui. The reason for Sally's release to explore tango was very realistic...bad flooring in her flat. The movie came back to that premise several times to keep us in the loop of her forays into dance and Holiday. This movie contains development and climax. We enjoyed the character growth and the intricacies of the finer dance steps of Argentinian Tango. Bravo to Sally Porter!

"The Tango Lesson" is one of the strangest movies I've seen. Normally I am very much put off by self-indulgence in any art form. "The Tango Lesson" is nothing if not self-indulgent (as well as self-referential!), yet somehow it all WORKS; even the extremely corny action in the movie shoots that serve to point up Ms. Potter's fictional (or is it real?) frustration with her craft, have some kind of wacky propriety to them in the context of this very unusual story. The dance scene in Pablo's apartment is magical. (And it is hard to believe that he isn't a professional actor.) The scenes with the two tango instructors in Buenos Aires (and indeed all the Argentinian scenes) are touching and beautiful. Ms. Potter's difficulties with her London apartment will be sympathized with by any city apartment dweller!I've seen the film twice in the theater, and once on tape. The second time I enjoyed it even more than the first (because I knew what to expect); the third time I found I'd reached a kind of plateau, but still was sorry when the film was over. This is one of those films I find myself thinking about every single day. It just won't let me alone. I would never call it "great," but I certainly find it memorable, and entertaining even in memory.