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 | Category: | Movies | | Genre: | Other |
In the continuing wave of teen movies that we're in the midst of, it's refreshing when one comes along that is about aspirations other than who gets to go to the Prom with whom, or whether the boy gets the girl. Oh sure, there's still boys getting girls in this movie, but it's just part of the bigger picture. What the movie's really about is what you have to do to be the best in a group that's already made up of the "best." Specifically, this is the story of a dance school in New York City where dozens of dancers from around the country compete for the chance to be one of six (three boys, three girls) who will be selected to be in the ABC (American Ballet Company).
Casting many real-life ballet dancers for central roles, we get a sense that this may be as close to the truth as we're going to get in a drama, or maybe any movie. Indeed, the excellent 1998 documentary, Dancemaker, tells stories that are very similar. As an ensemble piece, there are many stories to tell, but you can tell this is a good movie when even the smallest stories are well-told, such as that of Emily, the girl who (gasp!) enjoys eating. Though there are many acting debuts in this movie, their stage experience does them well, as I honestly couldn't tell you which performances were by "actors", except maybe that I suspect that the people who did the most hardcore dancing (Stiefel, etc.) were the pro's.
Boy, does it show, too. Like the special effects in a big action movie, you get an eyeful of wonderful dance numbers in this movie, leading right up to the big tryout sequence at the end. Unlike a sports movie, where almost always know who's going to "win" in the end, this movie has a different type of ending; some people "win" in different ways, and it's refreshing to see a movie take chances in that way. This is an intelligent story about teenagers who seem more real than most we see on the big screen, because it's about the work that someone has to put in to accomplish their dreams.
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