Love N' Dancing

24 March 2013. While not in the same league as Black Swan (2010) or The Artist (2011), this predictable romantic dance drama incorporates elements from Shall We Dance? (1996, remade 2004) that make this movie an entertaining piece. It even provides a more fascinating experiential look at dancing that The Cutting Edge (1992) which parallels the storyline with ice skating but which that movie seemed to omit the thrill of the skating competition itself. Avoiding the more exaggerated and melodramatic impression from Dirty Dancing (1987), Love N'Dancing restrains the story in a way to make it even more believable that art films evoke even while it retains a more mainstream entertainment impact like The Cutting Edge. This movie doesn't quite break out in its stylish, innovative presentation like Music and Lyrics (2007), but it has its own charm, especially a rather nice ending sequence that is somewhat unusual but satisfying in its approach to tying up loose ends.

MoviePlex is a generally blah movie channel (especially since it dropped its Western Wednesdays) but occasionally it brings us a little or little-known film that just grabs a viewer's heart and won't let go.

This movie is one of those.

Its cast of mostly unknowns (I think Billy Zane is the only one I had heard of) are not only astonishingly talented, but the characters they play are very likable and even compelling. There are some stereotypes, but they just add to the fun.

They are also mostly extremely attractive, either as physical specimens or as characters. Nicola Royston, for one, is just eye-poppingly and exotically beautiful -- and has made apparently only one movie. (What is the matter with the world's casting directors?)

Even the film's closest-to-villainous characters are likable and good-looking. One man who ignores his intended and pays more attention to business is one of them, but he is to be pitied, not censured.

Look especially for Rachel Dratch, of whom probably I should have known, but this was my first look. She is absolutely adorable, and in her last scene, she steals it. Watch her face. Marvelous!

The music is not even close to being what I would ordinarily listen to, but as setting for the dances, it was something even I liked. Some of the choreography is less than perfect, but the dancers are so good, so watchable, so graceful and athletic, any flaws (which might be subjective, anyway) are totally unimportant.

In short, this is one excellent movie, one I've already watched twice, and one I highly recommend to any person who likes dance, who likes "damn nice" people (to quote one character's assessment of some of his dance rivals), and who appreciates top-of-the-line talent.

This movie is now available on YouTube.

... and I dance East Coast Swing, a simplified take on Lindy Hop, which is the real thing (West Coast borrows a few moves from East Coast/Lindy and blues dance but is actually too Hollywood in its choreography and too close to the Hustle -- FEH!), so of course the dancing fell short for me. Real swing is what you dance to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, or Benny Goodman, or even contemporary big bands. My saying so will no doubt steam the West Coast fans in the audience, but hey, dance history is what it is (look up Frankie Manning and Hellzapoppin' on Wikipedia if you want to know where it all came from). Besides, the dance scenes would have fallen short anyway, for reasons cited below. But I digress.

I started off really wanting to like this movie. Honest. After all, I found the male lead appealing at first, and I'd enjoyed other dance films such as Strictly Ballroom, Center Stage, Take The Lead, and Tango Bar (I even tolerated Shall We Dance fairly well, given my usually complete disdain for Richard Gere). But no: the non-dance part of this storyline was so weak it made me cringe. OFTEN. Billy Zane was slightly less obnoxious than usual, so that was something, but not enough to offset the fact that Amy Smart seemed to be sleepwalking through the whole thing. The writing was awful. Their fight scene at home, for example, seemed sudden and oh, so contrived. So did the upset at their friends' wedding. Fake, fake, fake. You could see the consequences telegraphed a mile away. And the dance competition was even **more** Hollywood over-the-top than West Coast usually is. Mehhh. They learned ALL the wrong things from ballroom competitions.

Worst of all, Amy Smart never looked like she was really getting the hang of the sense of elasticity or stretch that underlies all variations of swing -- or that she was enjoying any of it, even a little bit. If you hate dancing that much, why do a dance movie?? Don't tell me she really liked it, because you sure couldn't tell from her performance in this film. I could barely sit through it. The actual dancing by others, however, like some ballroom competitions I've seen, was expert yet mechanical. Soulless despite all the plastic smiles, sequins, and flash moves. Wasn't **anybody** really getting into it? It's like they were still showing off but all just too cool to really show they like it. Nuts!!! I've seen much more fun and energy generated by amateurs at Lindy competitions on college campuses than I saw anywhere in this film. And I kept wanting to see real Lindy Hop, so that spoiled the rest of it for me.

If you want an introduction to WCS, I suppose this is as good as any; but if you were hoping for another Swing Kids (despite its inauthentic choreography) or Take The Lead, sit this one out -- it's not your kind of number, and it doesn't even have anyone like Antonio Banderas to save it. And Lindyhoppers should avoid it entirely. (It'll just annoy you too much. Better your should watch Frankie Manning clips on YouTube or video reruns from the Frankie 95 celebration. I'm just saying.)

PS -- I just noticed that Tom Molloy, the lead, also wrote the script. He has a lot to answer for, in that case.

Robert Iscove's "Love N' Dancing" chronicles the romance between an attractive middle school teacher and a deaf dance instructor she meets at a school assembly. The trouble is that Jessica (Amy Smart) is already engaged to a workaholic (a bald Billy Zane) who's always on his cell phone, while Jake (played by screenwriter Tom Malloy), who holds the title of World West Coast Swing Champion, is still carrying the torch for a former flame who has already moved onto a new love interest and dance partner.

A paint-by-numbers romantic comedy, "Love N' Dancing" has moments of undeniable charm - in its early stages at least - but the triteness of the plotting, the uncharismatic performances, the motley secondary characters (Rachel Dratch and Bette White make brief appearances), and the surfeit of implausibilities wind up taking their toll in the end.

The dancing is cool, though.

This film is about a former dance champion who re-evaluates his life after meeting a dedicated and talented student.

"Love N' Dancing" is not a typical romantic comedy. It successfully amalgamates these cheesy themes into an enjoyable film with a positive message. On the surface, it is about love and dancing. At a deeper level, "Love N' Dancing" is about not letting impairments and self doubt hinder yourself reaching your full potential. It is an uplifting feel good film, both visually and emotionally.

I enjoyed watching it a lot, and I think it deserves a wider audience and more recognition.