Great because of the impact it created on many lives

Rating: Null/10 (7 November 2001)

when flashdance was released, i was a teenager still searching for my place in life - what do i want in life, what are my ideals, what are the principles to follow in life etc watching flashdance made a number of these questions clearer. the personality and nature of alex (the character played by jennifer beals) moved me a lot, and that became the ideal girl that i would look for, and indeed find, later in life. in some ways, the movie actually "created" such girls, as my wife confesses. she was quite influenced by the same character, and the movie helped shaped her own thinking, attitude and behaviour at the time when she was also a teenager and building her own personality. alex was a strong antidote to the dominant materialistic, "me first" attitude at that time (and indeed even now). it was refreshing. a check with my group of friends (guys and girls) revealed a similar influence on them.
i think that, in a nutshell, was why this movie is such an important one for those who were teenagers in the early eighties. it created a lasting impression, and significant influence, beyond the superficial "music story". hence, its status as a classic for many people. combined with a feel good story, great music, and a moral to tell as well, i would recommend this to all who are young, young at heart, those in love, those who have lost their love, and those who have become cynical in life.