Dancehall Queen
Dancehall Queen
| 10 October 1997 (USA)
Dancehall Queen Trailers

Street vendor Marcia is scraping together a living in the ghetto section of Kingston, Jamaica. Her young daughter is being hounded by a rich sugar daddy who has been supporting the family; her brother's life is being threatened by a local thug. So, when the licentious patron threatens to abandon the family, and her brother breaks down under pressure, Marcia hits bottom. She needs to escape to a haven where she can get lost in fantasy; Marcia, don in sex-me-up clothing and outrageous glamour, finds refuge in the beats of the very dance hall outside of which she normally vends.

Reviews
Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.
winnie poo56 This is a heartwarming story. So often we watch stories about cultures we would never entertain being a part of but somewhere in the meat of the story we are drawn in. this story takes place in a Jamaican ghetto and shows us that even in the brash vivid stroked lives of those who live hand to mouth everyday there exists poetic justice and the charm of the unaffected life. The characters were believable and passionate.I cried and laughed and commiserated with Marcia and her family and yes, found myself wishing that I too could have been there if only for a day. I loved the music and was surprised to find so much variety in dancehall music such as Chaka Demus' song "whats the move" and Beeniemans song "dancehall queen".
Tierra Plowden I watched Dance Hall Queen back when i was a little girl living in Florida, and it gets a lot easier to understand the accents the more you watch it. I recently watched it again and the message to women to be strong and sexy and standing your ground was still there even more now that I'm a 24 year old mother. If you love foreign, Indy type Genres, then you will love the quirkiness of the characters, and settings and hate the stone hearts of the villains.I found myself each time cheering for the Main character, and I love her transformation from hobo looking street vendor, to sexy, dazzling beauty. I also liked seeing a women who had her own even if it was just a little to some, and got more herself.
metorahtid-1 I think the movie showed a side of Jamaica that often goes unnoticed in the tourism adds. I really liked Marcia, there was something real about her character. I also enjoyed the daughter, Tanya. She had spunk, and was a little more understandable.Paul Campbel is excellent in his role as Priest. The dialect was fun for me.. and if you watched the film on DVD you could use the subtitles as Jamaican Patios 101 (smile). The story is real however. I find that majority of the Jamaicans i meet who are working class or from a less affluent side of town love the film...The same doesn't always hold true from others though. Well if you want to be entertained...i think this is a very very entertaining movie and it showcases the darker side of Jamaica...while taking you into the "real dancehall".A definite must see
DominqueZarinha This movie is about a street vendor who enters a dance contest. I loved this movie. Most people might not understand what they were saying but it was not about that. Once you followed the plot, you were sure not to be misled. I saw this about 16 times on video. I am a Caribbean native and I really enjoyed it. The dancing made me learn a few things and the sound-track was of the hook! As for the characters, the street vendor, Marcia, she was very funny! The daughters, Tasha and Tanya, cool. Larry and Priest were your typical villains! The story was smooth-flowing as well. My reason for watching it over and over was to see the dancing which was very good and to hear the same jokes over and over again. 9/10