Customer Reviews

Center Stage

5 star:		(169)
4 star:		(71)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is a movie about fresh-faced young ballet dancers who attend the American Ballet Academy and compete for a few coveted spots in the ballet company.

This is the first film for the stars, Amanda Schull, who in real life is an apprentice at the Corps de Ballet in San Francisco, and Ethan Steifel, who is the principal dancer for the American Ballet Theater and considered the best male dancer in the world. Their acting is good, but it overshadowed by their absolutely magnificent dance performances.

There's a good universal story here of the competition among the young dancers, their hopes and dreams, romances and mishaps. There's Zoe Saldana as the wisecracking rebel with an attitude who nevertheless loves to dance. There's Susan May Pratt as a bulimic who has been pressured into ballet by her mother. There are several love triangles and some surprises in the plot.

But most of all -- there is the dancing. Ah, the dancing! There's classical ballet and Latin dancing and a finale that combines elements of jazz, modern and ballet. The music is perfect for the dance pieces. And everyone is beautiful.

The film stirred longings in me to get up and dance myself, and in a way I was doing that as I completely got into watching this video. For all lovers of dance and for 117 minutes of total enjoyment, Center Stage gets a high recommendation from me.

I saw Center Stage once in the theatre and bought it recently on DVD. It hasn't left my DVD player, and I've probably watched it upwards of seven or eight times since. The cast is energetic and amazingly talented, the soundtrack is an excellent match to the various types of dance numbers, and the dancing itself is sublime.

I loved the extra features on this DVD, most notably the isolated soundtrack, director's commentary, deleted scenes and the extended dance sequences. The video by Mandy Moore was also a nice touch seeing as it uses footage of the cast of Center Stage and is an excellent song on its own.

The isolated soundtrack works well with the workshop numbers as well as the club scene. The commentary by Nicholas Hytner was interesting as well--for example, the NY skyline in the dance studio was simply a very large transparency. He also addresses technical aspects of shooting dancers and the infamous dance studio mirrors. There are only two deleted scenes: one of Cooper at a rehearsal for "Stars and Stripes" as he chats with Joan Miller, and one where Charlie performs a solo number in rehearsal, featuring stunning footwork and a playful mood.

The extended dance sequences flow much more smoothly without the constant cuts to the rather bored-looking audience, allowing the footwork and energy to shine through uninterrupted.

Although quips have been made regarding the acting abilities of the mostly dance-oriented cast, I thought that everyone involved did an outstanding job. This has to be my favourite movie of the last five years or so.

If you are thinking about watching "Center Stage", you should first read the plot summary and view the trailer. If neither impresses, you would be wise to give "Center Stage" a wide berth because they are very accurate representations of the film. The story is fairly simple, the focus is on three girls who aspire to a position with the fictional American Ballet Center in New York City. Well, they sort of aspire. The bulimic one (Maureen) is only doing it because her mother is pushing her, the girl next door one (Jody) is wondering if the company is too restrictive, and the angry one (Eva) is considering getting work as a Hooters waitress instead. Eva's seemingly bad attitude disguises the fact that she actually has the best attitude, she is there because she loves to dance.

There is a love triangle between Jody and two guys, she sleeps with the one she loves (Cooper), he does not love her but he gives her the female lead in a ballet he has choreographed. He gives the male lead to the guy who loves her. Coincidentally Cooper's ballet is about a similar love triangle.

This is not exactly new territory, think "Flashdance", "Fame", and "Brave New Girl". Don't expect Fellini's "Variety Lights". The plot is painfully contrived but the saving grace is the wonderful dancing and the realistic portrayal of the grind of dance school. The DVD has a ton of nice special features including extended dance sequences.

The acting is nonprofessional but the director knows the limitations of his ensemble and does not ask them to do anything very difficult, at least acting-wise. The movie is full of mild melodrama, but stays nicely real life and doesn't amp the conflicts and love stories into an overwrought mess.

The theme is the standard one about going after your dream through hard work and dedication, but they also focus on the necessity of first making sure that it is actually your dream. Bottom line: "Center Stage" is a joyful celebration of dance and the talented folks who make it their profession.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I don't know if it's because I've been a ballet dancer since the age of three or if it's because this movie was so amazing. You never hear what goes on behind the scenes, the bloody toes, eating disorders,etc. It's not all the glitz and glam it's cracked up to be. This movie portrays the struggle of a young women trying to make it as a professional ballet dancer and along the way encounters a few romantic, and family struggles. Out of the many things that make this movie so great, knowing that the actors aren't just actors but dancers too so you know there aren't any stunt doubles.I highly recomend viewing and purchasing this movie, if not purchasing, at least add it to your "wish-list" !

First of all, as a dancer, I fell head over heels in love with this movie. Secondly, I think it brings ballet down from the upper class snobbery that most people assume go hand-in-hand with it to real-life issues of success, failure, and struggle to survive. The three main girls: Jody (Amanda Schull), Eva (Zoe Saldana) and Maureen (Susan May), represent three types of personalities in any ballet class. Jody is struggling with the "wrong body type" (though I personally see nothing wrong with her body) and "bad feet." Eva is a natural dancer with an unfortunate chip on her shoulder and an attitude problem. And Maureen is the "perfect" dancer who secretly struggles with Bolemia. These three struggle and survive while, amazingly, staying friends. This may be unlikely in an art that is, basically, murder in competition between females.
More unlikely than the friendship of the girls is the fact that three out of the four young male leads (not counting Peter Gallagher) are straight. These strapping and talented dancers are certainly more than just easy on the eyes. My mouth-watering favorite is Charlie (Sasha Redetsky), who looks like a young Peter Gallagher without the imposing eyebrows.
Anyway, the dancing is top-notch. Combined with the storyline, this is a gem of a movie which succeeds in bringing ballet to popular audiences. I consider it a must in my collection, and you will too.

I'm 26 years old, never was into the tu-tus and ballet slippers, more likely to play dodgeball than try a pas de deux, but... this movie is simply captivating.

The story is familiar: Jodie is a beautiful dancer, but can't quite keep up with the talent at her prestigious dance school. Her best friend is a rebel. The best dancer is a nasty snob. Jodie falls for the wrong guy, and then the right one, and everything works out in the end.

But... the dance sequences are beautiful (probably because most of the characters are played by dancers, rather than actors). The dialogue -- which, the first time I watched this movie, I thought was clunky, is actually honest (again, maybe because nobody is "acting" so much as living the story). I love the moment after Jodie runs out of rehearsal and is crying in the hallway. Charlie runs after her and convinces her to come back in, but she blurts out: "I can't, I'm all splotchy."

So... in conclusion, and I might be a little bit embarrassed to say this... this is one of my favorite movies.

The story is old but the energies are new in ''Center Stage,'' and that's all this film needs to carry it past its familiar backstage elements. A spirited ensemble of appealing young newcomers essentially takes us through a year at a thinly disguised American Ballet Theatre school that will end with advancement for a very few and heartbreak for most. This is made bluntly clear at the outset by the company's kingpin, played by Peter Gallagher with a certain arrogance, but also in a way that convinces us he's not wrong to be as demanding as he is. In one of the film's many echoes of past backstage sagas, he reminds us of the godlike choreographer in ''A Chorus Line.''

Before long, we're also sensing the ghosts of ''The Turning Point,'' ''Stage Door,'' ''Flashdance,'' ''Gypsy,'' and ''Saturday Night Fever.'' But ''Center Stage'' is kept from seeming old and hackneyed by the explosions of freshness from its young performers. One, Ethan Stiefel, is a bona fide ABT star. In the film, he plays a prominent soloist who's feeling confined by the strict parameters of the company's repertoire and wants to push off into a looser, freer kind of choreography. He's also coming off the short end of a romantic triangle involving Gallagher's top dog and the prima ballerina for whose affections both competed.

Not surprisingly, the big climactic dance he devises for the academy graduation recital at a Lincoln Center benefit mixes a romantic triangle with a devolution from classical ballet into something more street-flavored. You expect as much, given that his way of relaxing is to ride his motorcycle from Lincoln Center to a Broadway dance studio and exchange Kenneth MacMillan for Bob Fosse as a change of pace. When he meets Amanda Schull's young ballet maverick, Jody, there, it isn't long before they're doing their own variations on ''Romeo and Juliet.''

''Center Stage'' is filled with mavericks. Schull (in real life a San Francisco Ballet corps member) keeps dancing on pure determination, having been told from day one that her body type is not the balletic ideal. But she works hard, and projects charisma and glow. These mavericks also are uninhibited about mouthing off to their teachers, especially Zoe Saldana's Eva. But one of the quietest young dancers (from the ABT corps), Sascha Radetsky's Charlie, has his eye on Jody, too, and is remarkable for his airy elevations besides. Not all of the characters are portrayed by dancers. Ilia Kulik, who plays the resident Russian in the troupe, is Russian, but is an ice-skating champ.

The ''Stage Door'' echo comes in the competitive roommating of Jody, Eva, and Susan May Pratt's unhappy, bulimic prize pupil, Maureen, being shoved toward stardom by her unfulfilled mother (Debra Monk), the film's ''Gypsy'' connection. As the most prominent of the teachers, Donna Murphy contributes emotional depth to a film that doesn't get enough from its simplistically pitched battle between aspiring youth and manipulative fogeys. Oddly enough, although the film does a good job capturing the backstage world of dance, the dance sequences themselves often seem pedestrian. Still, the producers were right to cast dancers who could act rather than try the reverse. They're easy to watch, easy to like, and they vault over the speed bumps placed in their way by the script. Anybody who's ever laced on toe shoes, or wanted to, will find something to take away from ''Center Stage.''

Center Stage is greater, better than the sum of its parts. It's easy to quibble about the acting being a bit amateurish, or plot elements being inane, or some of the characters being clichés. But that misses the point, which is that Center Stage is perfectly wonderful entertainment of the sort we don't often see on film these days.

Young Amanda Schull, who plays Jody, would be a drop-dead gorgeous American beauty even if she couldn't dance a step. But she's a fine ballerina, and in the modern dance number that she performs with her two rival suitors, Cooper and Jonathan, she's so sexy you'll forget all about Flashdance (where I believe a double did the dancing for the star).

Zoe Saldana (who plays Eva) is just as beautiful, ten times as saucy, and perhaps even more talented than Schull. She's the only one of the young "actors" who seems totally comfortable and credible in her acting. Her performance of the dance from Swan Lake will bring tears to some eyes.

And if you're into guys, step right up: Center Stage has guys! -- and they're just as numerous, handsome, and talented as the girls.

Years go by without a chance to see the talent and entertainment value you'll find in Center Stage. Don't miss it!

While ballet purists knowledgeable in dance and technique might be put off by this film, balletomanes and lovers of dance films will find this movie a real treat. The plot is very Hollywood and predictable, but it's a predictability that is enjoyable to watch. Yes, you have your stereotypical characters, but there's still a ring of truth to them. As a former ballet student, I can tell you I've met all of these characters and then some. Unfortunately the movie exaggerates a few of the characters to the point of absurdity, such as the ballet mother. When her daughter Maureen admits her eating disorder, the ballet mother justifies the bulimia by saying her daughter is simply watching her weight. I find it hard to believe that any mother would approve of her daughter's bulimia, no matter how ambitious. Eating disorders are apparent in this film--one only has to look at the cast members to see that. Julie Kent is painfully thin and an all too-realistic reminder of ballet's stringent body requirements for female ballet dancers which drives them to anorexia and bulimia. I absolutely adored Zoe Saldana's scene-stealing character of the sassy Eva, and I think many dancers secretly wish they had her moxie. I don't feel Eva exists in the ballet world. She would have been thrown out of such a prestigious ballet school a long time ago-only choreographers and premier danseurs/prima ballerinas can get by with such behavior. Indeed, Eva's sudden substitution for Maureen in the student ballet is pure Hollywood fantasy--no way would Eva go undetected behind the scenes in an actual performance. But it's things like that which makes the movie so likeable. My only disappointment was discovering from the Director's Commentary that Saldana had a dance double for that dance sequence (except for closeup shots). Amanda Schull (a former Hawaii girl) is softly radiant as Jody Sawyer and does do her own dancing. Julie Kent dances exquisitely and Ethan Stiefel is simply amazing.

Ballet was my first passion, and, consequently, I find it fascinating, and I know the work involved with it.

This movie does a very good job of showing the struggle that a ballet student goes through -- the rigor of study and exercise, the attitude of both students and teachers in a professional studio or school...even the stereotypes. A lot of previous reviewers have complained about all the stereotypes in the movie, but the fact of the matter is, those stereotypes EXIST. In mass quantities, I might add! MOST dancers fall into one of those categories; if they had not been in there, quite frankly, it wouldn't have been very true to reality. So I was glad they put them in.

I do agree that some of the acting isn't exactly earth-shattering. On the other hand, this is a movie about DANCE, and I would rather see them employ DANCERS than actors. There is nothing more annoying than watching an actor who can't dance try and pull it off, it just doesn't work. So I was glad they went with that particular choice. The actors they had that didn't dance didn't actually HAVE to. For example, Peter Gallagher. Peter Gallagher wouldn't have been my first choice to cast as the director of a major company, but when he first came onto the screen, I laughed out loud! He played the role PERFECTLY! I watched him and thought, "Oh, my gosh, it's all the directors and teachers that I had when I was a ballet dancer!" He couldn't have done it any better if he actually WAS a ballet director.

The story, though predictable, was still sweet, and the characters ended up being pretty likable.

But, of course, the dancing is why you watch this movie. The dancing is wonderful. The only thing that bothered me AT ALL was the fact that some of the final dance number is blatantly IMPOSSIBLE to do onstage, but oh well, it was incredibly fun to watch anyway! I love classical ballet, but when you can successfully mix the classical and the funk, that's fabulous too!

All in all, a very good movie, one of the best dance movies out there! If you want to see a good dance show, if you want to be entertained on more than one level, this is a movie I would recommend!