History Film / BillyElliot

* JerkassBall: Billy, believe it or not. His slap to the other boy was utterly unprovoked; the boy was merely comforting him for not having got into the dance school. Granted, the other boy was InnocentlyInsensitive by not recognising that a working class boy like Billy wouldn't get another chance. On the other hand, Billy never apologised for being a brat.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Billy's father and brother.

* JerkassBall: Billy, believe it or not. His slap to the other boy was utterly unprovoked; the boy was merely comforting him for not having got into the dance school. Granted, the other boy was InnocentlyInsensitive by not recognising that a working class boy like Billy wouldn't get another chance. On the other hand, Billy never apologised or was punished for being a brat.

* BigDamnKiss: At one point Michael kisses Billy on the cheek; this is Michael's coming out to Billy and declaring his love for him, a love which Billy cannot return. Right before Billy [[spoiler: leaves to go to ballet school, he says goodbye to Michael and kisses him on the cheek. Then "See you, then", and he runs off, leaving Michael looking after him.]]

* BeYourself

* PopStarComposer: EltonJohn wrote the music for the musical numbers, with the movie's screenwriter Lee Hall providing lyrics.

''Billy Elliot'' is the story of an eleven-year-old boy who escapes the harshness of his existence by discovering his passion for Ballet. Inspired by A. J. Cronin's novel ''The Stars Look Down'' and directed by Stephen Daldry, this 2000 film spawned a highly successful West End musical, a collaboration between the film's original screenwriter Lee Hall and EltonJohn. ''Billy Elliot'' is both a gritty historical drama and a heart-warming feelgood movie.

* JerkassBall: Billy, believe it or not. His slap to the other boy was utterly unprovoked; the boy was merely comforting him for not having got into the dance school. Granted, the other boy was InnocentlyInsensitive by not recognising that a working class boy like Billy wouldn't get another chance, but the fact that Billy never apologised or was punished for being a brat there never sat right with this troper.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Then again, there are people who think the movie can be convincingly read both as a subtle tale of a Billy coming to terms with his sexuality. [[spoiler: After all, he is clearly uncomfortable when Debbie tries to touch him, but he kisses Michael on the cheek before he leaves.]] The ending of the movie is perhaps deliberately left open to allow viewers to decide for themselves. (There's possibly a bit of FridgeBrilliance in the fact that the ballet we see grown-up Billy in at the end is Matthew Bourne's gay interpretation of ''SwanLake''.)

* JerkassBall: Billy, believe it or not. His slap to the other boy was utterly unprovoked; the boy was merely comforting him for not having got into the dance school. Granted, the other boy was [[InnocentlyInsensitive]] by not recognising that a working class boy like Billy wouldn't get another chance, but the fact that Billy never apologised or was punished for being a brat there never sat right with this troper.

[[quoteright:230:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Billy_Elliot.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:230: Can leap tall commendations in a single bound!]]

''Billy Elliot'' is the story of an eleven-year-old boy who escapes the harshness of his existence by discovering his passion for Ballet. Inspired by A. J. Cronin's novel ''The Stars Look Down'', this 2000 film spawned a highly successful West End musical, a collaboration between the film's original screenwriter Lee Hall and EltonJohn. ''Billy Elliot'' is both a gritty historical drama and a heart-warming feelgood movie.

* MissingMom: BillyElliot suffers from dead mother syndrome.

* AbusiveParents: Jackie Elliot to his children at some points, possibly due to depression.
** During a heated argument with Jackie and Billy, the latter calls him a bastard. This causes Jackie to snap, after a few seconds of silence, and '''beat Billy'''.
** He later smashes Tony in the face with a hammer, breaking his nose.

* DownerEnding: By the end of the film, its likely that Billy's grandmother would have died, its hinted at that Jackie and Tony haven't seen Billy for a long time, and more worryingly Jackie's addled behaviour on the tube hints that its possible he may share his mother-in-laws fate.

Described by some as "a {{Coming Out Story}} without the gay", this film has spawned its own trope: The {{Billy Elliot Plot}}, where young boys in a coming-of-age story learn an important lesson -- {{Be Yourself}}. Even if it does involve leotards.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Billy seems to be feeling an attraction to Debbie in the pillow fight scene, but he does not reciprocate her later interest in him. Billy also can't return Michael's love for him.

* DistantFinale: See above.

* MissingMom: BillyElliot suffers from dead mother syndrome.

* UnconfessedUnemployment: Inverted. The Father can't tell his son [[spoiler: he's going back to work as a scab.]]

* DisneyAcidSequence : In "Expressing Yourself", the song ends with a tapdancing sequence featuring giant moving dresses.
* DreamBallet : After Michael leaves in the Christmas scene, [[MyFutureSelfAndMe Billy dances with his future self]], to the Pas de Deux from Theatre/SwanLake, before his older self fades away to reveal he is still in the miners' welfare.

* BlackSheep: Billy

* DawsonCasting: Eleven-year-old Billy is played by a boy of thirteen and a half who was clearly going through puberty. Michael, also eleven, is played by a seventeen-year-old who can pass quite convincingly for a thirteen-year-old but not for an eleven-year-old.

* CharacterTitle

* TheMusical

''Billy Elliot'' is the story of an eleven-year-old boy who escapes the harshness of his existence by discovering his passion for Ballet. Inspired by A. J. Cronin's novel ''The Stars Look Down'', this 2000 film spawned a highly successful west End musical, a collaboration between the film's original screenwriter Lee Hall and EltonJohn. ''Billy Elliot'' is both a gritty historical drama and a heart-warming feelgood movie.

* CounterpointDuet / DistantDuet: In "Solidarity," the ballet class scenes actually take place simultaneously with scenes from the strike, with girls in tutus dancing in between cops swinging billy cubs. [[TropesAreNotBad It works well.]]
* HailToTheThief: "Merry Christmas, Maggie Thatcher"