Eye-popping 1980s View

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2020)

Lovely Jennifer Beals plays a young woman who is a steel worker by day, an exotic dancer by night. Her dream is to get into a real dance company and with encouragement from her boss-boyfriend, she may get her chance. The city of Pittsburgh co-stars. There is plenty of music in "Flashdance," but none as memorable as the title song performed by Irene Cara. What a feeling! And who can forget that exhilarating scene when Beals is doused with water or when she dances to "Maniac." Never mind that Beals's best dance scenes were done with a body double; this is still a worthy film for young people with terpsichorean dreams. ---from Musicals on the Silver Screen, American Library Association, 2013