Work It

Another dance movie, I thought. Great, probably generic. And it is, but there’s something there. A little sparkle, or shine that makes it glow. It’s got spirit. And the dancing is pretty enjoyable to watch. But the dancing is not the story, it is more about finding what makes you happy.

Our main character is Quinn, a teenage girl in highschool that wants to get into Duke University but to do so she has to show her admissions officer that she can “blow up the box”. To that end, she fibs that she’s a dancer and will be at some major dance competition, titled “Work It”. She recruits a misfit team of outcasts and her best friend to form a dance team led by some former champion dancer.

The antagonist could be said to be the other rival dance team but really it’s the main character’s mom. She’d rather her daughter follow her vision of who she wants her to be rather than being her own person. And in typical fashion, it’s not until she sees her daughter dance and the joy it brings her, that she realizes she’s gotta let her fly.

It’s honestly just a nice feel good movie. With charming chemistry between everyone, and all round smiles. I don’t know anyone on the cast, they all seem to be relatively new actors except for Keiynan Lonsdale which I recognize from playing Kid Flash. The lead was played by Sabrina Carpenter and I think she did well enough. Likeable and believable as a newcomer to dance. I also enjoyed her love interest/the former champion dancer, played by Jordan Fisher. He had charisma and instant likeability with his character. Even her best friend wasn’t too bad, played by Liza Koshy, she had some had really funny moments especially several scenes within a mattress store. I recommend this movie for a watch. At the very least, the movie will succeed at putting a smile on your face.