What ever happened to those enjoyable dance classics well all know and most of us love and cherish, like Dirty Dancing, Strictly Ballroom, Saturday Night Fever or even Grease? Each of these films was a solid example of dance movie entertainment. Each one encompassed something completely different from the next and stood out amongst other film genres of the time; and a couple of these films are even referred to today as classics. I falter when I work to think of a film of similar caliber in the current movie market.
I suppose it could be due to growing trends and popularity of new dance forms, but honestly, our generation has been inundated with only mediocre dance movies. I’d hate to think the great dance movies I listed above have been replaced by such average films as Step Up, Save The Last Dance, Take The Lead, and now Step Up 2 The Streets. Interestingly enough, these films make decent box office returns, but more often than not, the average actor cast in these films is only so-so, save for Antonio Banderas. Would it be asking too much to have that traditional kind of double-threat talent cast in these films as they were back in the good ol’ days? Unfortunately, I’m not sure the actors are all at fault here, however, for they often don’t have much to work with when it comes to the script.
I confess I look forward to seeing these films on some level and I get genuinely excited to see the grand finale in each of them. That impending final dance routine they lazily build up to never disappoints those who are excited by dance. I just wish these stories revolved around something less cheesy and predictable. Within these choppy screenplays, it seems dance is always someone’s means to an end or a hidden talent that someone will eventually draw out. Seeing as I have yet to see Step Up 2 The Streets I don’t mean to generalize, but it seems that these films are more or less one and the same with a nice little bow wrapped sweetly around each movie's end. She gets into Juilliard; he gets into private school; and all the detention-prone students become decent ballroom dancers.
That’s enough bashing for now. There is a new style of dance movie that has officially emerged within the movie biz called step dancing. Following on the tail of Screen Gems’ Stomp The Yard is Paramount Vantage’s latest flick How She Move. Frankly, I’m interested. Paramount Vantage always puts out great films and I can’t imagine this one could be so bad; but I’m not holding my breath. Again, we see a plot where there is someone in need who turns to dance to save herself. I enjoy the obscurity of the cast as it leads me to believe the talent in the film is legitimate; however, the reviews are mixed. While these dance films aim to please and entertain, I just wish we’d see a classic emerge sooner rather than later.
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