Guilty pleasure

Rating: 7/10 (18 November 2018)

Here is a film that makes riding a bike around Pittsburgh in the rain look very sexy.
Alex is a very earnest young woman. Although she is only 18, there are no parents in evidence and she seems mostly alone in the world, except for her ballet mentor, an elderly woman, and some friends who have similar dreams of escaping their blue collar world. She does a man's job all day for the good pay, operating heavy equipment. Apparently she is the only female on the premises, but mysteriously there is no harassment.
To satisfy her creative urges, she does exotic dancing in the evening at the local bar. Her true passion in life is the ballet, but she has never taken a single lesson. She has apparently practiced extensively on her own, a barre being set up in the warehouse where she lives with a pit bull. She longs to join the local dance company, but is terrified of rejection. One day she walks into the building to make her application, but she is intimidated by the other women, and leaves without applying.
Against her better judgment she begins a relationship with her boss, a high powered man in the community who can pull strings for her, but she does not want any strings pulled. She wants to get into the ballet company on her own merit.
After her dance mentor suddenly dies, she has an epiphany. She takes the plunge, applies to the conservatory, auditions for a part and amazes the committee with gravity defying moves and even some break dancing.
Totally implausible, but a pretty film to watch, with good music and dancing.
Her friends do not fare as well. Jeanie, the skater, falls twice during her competition and crumbles on the ice. The actress unfortunately died a year later of a brain aneurysm.
Fun film bringing back memories of the 80's.