A very watchable `feel good' movie with an old plot

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2001)

There is no chance of giving the plot away on this one. This has been done in `Flashdance', `Ballroom' and more than 50 movies going back to `A star is Born' and `Babes on Broadway' but this version has enough going for it that the predictability of the main plot becomes less unimportant when the entire movie is taken in as a whole.
I found this movie very watchable due to the various sub-plots and character development that give this movie a very rich texture that allows you to overlook the numerous flaws. The major change in this movie, from those mentioned above, is the interracial love affair that develops around the training of the novice (played stiffly by Julia Stiles) to become a talented dancer. The sub-plots about peer pressure of a black man (played very well by Sean Patrick Thomas) going with a while girl, the acceptance of the family taken from the black point-of-view and the rivalry of an old girl friend (the very attractive Bianca Lawson) all add to this texture. The most interesting character development was the relationship with the lead character's best friend (played very well by Fredro Starr). A choice has to be made between supporting his old way of life as part of the neighborhood crew with measuring a friend by how he stands by you on the street and the future he has by being a good student with an opportunity to become a doctor. This was, I thought, done very well with care and sensitivity to the characters involved.
This sensitivity carried over into other sub plots but as a whole the move was done with an atmosphere to be politically correct in the depiction of the school and life in the Ghetto in Chicago. I'm sure this was softened to take in a wider audience but it was handled well and didn't detract from the movie. This a good `feel good' movie to watch some night with your `significant other' over soda pop and a slice of pizza.