| Mad About Mambo | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | John Forte |
| Produced by | David P. Kelly Gabriel Byrne (Executive) |
| Written by | John Forte |
| Starring | William Ash Keri Russell Maclean Stewart |
| Music by | Richard Hartley |
| Cinematography | Ashley Rowe |
| Editing by | David Martin |
| Distributed by | USA Films |
| Release date(s) | August 4, 2000 (United States) |
| Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | Ireland/United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $65,283 (Domestic)[1] |
Mad About Mambo is a 2000 British/Irish co-production, filmed in Dublin but set in Belfast, written and directed by John Forte. It stars William Ash, Keri Russell and Brian Cox.
A boy obsessed with football finds his life changing dramatically once he adds a little Samba. Danny (Ash) plays on the football team at the all-boys Catholic school he attends in Belfast. Danny's three best friends, who also play on the team, all have different ambitions for their lives. Mickey (Maclean Stewart) wants to be a fashion designer so he can get rich and date supermodels. Gary (Russell Smith) wants to become a magician so he can get rich and meet beautiful women (and presumably saw them in half). And Spike (Joe Rea) likes to beat people up, so he wants to become a mercenary and do it for a living. But Danny dreams of making football his life.
The players Danny most admires are South Americans, such as Pele and Carlos Riga, who he feels have a special rhythm and flexibility. Wanting to add some of these qualities to his own game, Danny has an idea: he'll take Samba lessons, in the hope that dancing like a South American will help him play like a South American. To the surprise of himself and his friends, Danny turns out to be a pretty good Latin dancer and finds himself smitten with a student in his dance class, Lucy (Russell). However, Lucy happens to have a boyfriend, who is a fierce competitor on one of Danny's rival teams.