I am not an inveterate ballet goer, but this is New York and the New York City Ballet is the New york city ballet. So when Natalie Portland, in the process of cracking up as the lead in “Swan Lake”, walks across Lincoln center I am so there. been there. go there.
But the movie, by the bloke who did “The Wrestler” and “Requiem For A Dream”, is a drag and as obvious as the Freud on the shoulder.
So what’s good?
lots and lots of “Swan Lake” and also, at times, some real good ballet which illustrates Swan Lakes, or rather, black swans theme.
Swan Lake is about a girl transformed into a swan waiting for true love to make her human again. True love shows and a black swan seduces him so the white swan offs herself and becomes human again.
The same ballerina plays both white and black swan and Portman cracks up while trying to defrost.
That’s about it. All rather silly but what the heck you get to see black swan make out with the chick from That 70’s Show.
Anything else? yeah, the bloke who wrote the ballet is really really good.