After Kenny bagged a swag of local awards, and with For Your Consideration barely cool in theatres, it was inevitable that mocumentaries would become the new cash-crop. First through the local buzz is Razzle Dazzle which shines a harsh light on the equally harsh world of competitive dance. The results are surprising. Mr Jonathan (Miller) runs an academy for young dancers and is best known for confrontational works such as exploring child labour through dance. He’s also adrift in a world of self-delusion. So too a number of parents who see him and his ‘creativity’ as a conduit to fame. They all have an eye on a national prize as does two-time winner Miss Elizabeth. The plight of Afghan women could be the key to Jonathan’s success.

While there’s more than an echo of Waiting For Guffman about the film’s dramatic arc, this is, perhaps true to its topic, more brutal, sly and wicked in its humour. From precocious children to dangerous parenting, little escapes a sledging from Ashton and a note-perfect cast. Kerry Armstrong as a savage stage-mother is a revelation of comic timing and a perfect foil to Miller’s deadpan nice-guy. As misfortune shapes events and drives Jonathan’s girls closer to their prize, Ashton lifts the curtain on an hysterical world of creative rivalry and political controversy.

This is extremely funny stuff. Populated with glittering minor characters – MC Barry Crocker’s crooning version of Howzat is priceless – Razzle Dazzle delivers all that it sets out to do. A riotous script soon extinguishes the whiff of familiarity with verbal and visual dexterity, proving that sometimes winning is indeed everything!

// COLIN FRASER