Breaking Legs

This movie was painful to watch. I couldn't even get through it. Definitely do NOT recommend. The actors were really awful

There is an interesting phenomenon in TV today. Even the best shows, the ones with the highest ratings and reviews, tend to stumble and fall in the 3th or 4th season. It is almost as if the original writers, when the show was being created, stored only enough story arcs to hum through the first two seasons, but then season 3 arrives ... and there is no gas in the tank.

I mention this because normally, for A-list productions from the major studios and networks, there is really no "film equivalent" for this phenomenon, since the A-listers usually have considerable checks and balances built-in to their systems, so that a script does not get green-lighted unless it is 100% ready.

Which brings us to Breaking Legs, an indie written and directed by young auteur Mark Marchillo. The first 15 minutes or so are a nice setup, promising the audience a cross between MEAN GIRLS, FLASHDANCE, and FOOTLOOSE. But those promises are never kept.

After the setup, and for the rest of the over-long and disjointed, helter-skelter, film, dialog goes in strange and unpredictable directions; the characters behave out-of-character; the viewer has trouble keeping track of who is doing what to whom; and the film in general becomes tedious and vexing.

Newcomer Liv Southard does a nice job of trying (emphasize "trying") to be the "glue" for the film and maintain interest, but she is fighting the script and director every step of the way down the elevator shaft.

And Chris Kattan's character is so horrifically written (he comes across more as an autistic stalker than a parental figure) that one cannot blame the actor alone for the end result.

Breaking Legs is such a fun, heartwarming film that you can't pass on! From the dance scenes to the high school drama, this film captures the truth of growing up as a young teen dreaming of a what seems unreachable in a world full of bitter disappointments. The story is told in an upbeat, quirky way that you'll find yourself wanting to get up and dance your heart out no matter what. Don't even get me started on how hilarious Chris Kattan was in this alongside the talented Mark Marchillo who wrote, directed and starred in this beautiful dance of human and visual art! I couldn't stop laughing, gasping and wanting to Dance!

What even is this movie. I'm not sure who this movie is made for if not deeply disturbed adults. The wildly inappropriate humor makes it zero percent for "kids"? The abuse related unfinished plots are unforgivable. I can only imagine the positive reviews are from family members or kid offenders of the sort you would see on law and order svu. Read theses comment and tell me I'm wrong.

This movie really deserved some kind of theatrical release. It was so well written, directed and acted, that it is shame that it went direct to home viewing only. After the screenplay, to me casting is the most important part of a movie. If you have the wrong people in the parts it could really ruin the film. But here everyone was perfect for their parts. What I really liked was "real" teenagers playing teenagers. Not 20 or 30 somethings you find in so many movie and TV shows. I loved the soundtrack. My favorite two performances were William Leon's and Liv Southard's. They had really great chemistry together. I really liked Mark Marchillo (also the director and screenwriter) as the uncle. He really dances well too. I also loved Aaron Landon as the comic relief of the movie. A movie that gets very serious at times. It was a really good touch in writing that part and again great casting.