Center Stage Review by Tim Wick
Center Stage is the kind of film that makes me happy I write reviews for this
site.
A year ago, I would have missed this film because it just wouldn't have hit
my radar. I like independent film and I like a good dance movie, but this
one flew in so low among all the other stuff that it would have been easy to
overlook. Since I spend so much time looking at what is coming out, I just
happened to notice this one. Granted, it's already been out for a month, but
I knew it was there and I finally made time to see it.
Before I write this, let's get a few things straight. In a Bond film, we
expect that Bond will kill the bad guy and get the girl. In a romantic
comedy, we know the lovers will finally end up together no matter how many
obstacles are thrown in their way. In a story about a bunch of kids going
out into the world to chase their dreams, we know that most of them will face
adversity, but finally achieve what they really desire (although their dream
may have changed by the end of the film).
So don't expect any surprises in Center Stage. You have seen this story
before. This time, it's about a bunch of kids who want to be ballet dancers.
What is important is not the originality of the plot, but the heart of film.
The cast of this film is mostly unknown. The biggest name in the film is
indie king Peter Gallager (Sex, Lies and Videotape) as the director of the
ballet company/school where the film takes place. Everyone else was
obviously cast for their dancing ability. In a dance movie, this is key.
The kids they found can do more than dance, however. They manage to give a
heart to characters that are really little more than cliche's. I won't spend
much time on the boys because they are not the center of this film. The
girls are the center.
Newcomer Amanda Schull plays Jody, the center of the film. Jody has made it
into a prestigious ballet school, but doesn't seem to have the talent to
compete. She used to have joy in dancing, but the joy is gone. Can she get
it back in time to snag a coveted spot in the American Ballet Company?
Sounds cheesy, but Schull manages to breathe some life into this stock role.
Jody comes off as star struck, confused, immature and ultimately capable of
more than she herself is aware. The character had an arc that is rarely
evident in a movie like this.
Zoe Saldana is the urban rebel who is going to ballet school because she just
happens to be good. Will she stop being sassy long enough to notice she has
a chance to realize her dream even before she is aware what it is? Well,
duh. Again, however, this character manages to be deeper than the basic
stock description I have just given. She is caring, trusting and in need of
acceptance and friendship. You expect this of the stock character, but most
actresses fail to integrate those traits into the character well.
The
"veteran" of the three central characters is Susan May Pratt who plays
Maureen - the "best dancer" in the school. She has actually been in movie
before (a small role in Ten Things I Hate About You). I thought her
character would be the typical egotistical brat that you just want to see
lose in the final competition. Here, I guessed wrong. That's all I will say.
The important thing here is that this is a dance movie. Since all the leads
are dancers, you don't get a bunch of quick cuts meant to trick you into
missing the dance doubles. The actors are doing the dancing and that is
crystal clear. That makes the dance sequences themselves some of the best
I've seen in a long time.
My one complaint was the sound. It is a standard complaint for many Indie
films. The characters voices were sometimes garbled and sometimes
unintentionally drowned out by the soundtrack. Chalk it up to slightly
inferior equipment and leave it at that.
Finally, for all the predictable plot, this film did manage to throw a few
surprises at me. Not many, but just enough to keep me from being able to
predict every plot twist. Most of them were telegraphed, but a couple things
I "knew" would happen didn't. That impressed me.
In a summer filled with special effects, big stars and bigger budgets, it can
be nice to see a little film like this. It may not change your life, but it
will remind you that movies are ultimately about people and if the movie
makes you care for those people, you will be far more entertained than you
ever will be at a film that blows a lot of stuff up and forgets about the
characters behind the explosions.
I finally have half beakers and I don't need them. This is a solid four
beaker film.
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