Buy this for the DANCING, April 6, 2002

Storywise, "Center Stage" has much that I'd seen before in movies with a dance theme: jealousies and affairs among directors, choreographers, principals and/or students; ballerinas with eating disorders, lack of desire, lack of talent, attitude problems or pushy parents; two guys exercising their egos in a "dance duel" . . . you know how it goes. Stereotypes abound, but the characters are engaging enough so that a predictable plot can still render a movie that is watchable.

Now, for the REALLY good part. There is excellent dancing in this movie: Ethan Stiefel, Julie Kent and Sascha Radetsky each provide eye-catching performances. Zoë Saldana, Amanda Schull and many of the others are also worth a look. I thought the portrayal of the trials and tribulations that accompany dance academies were both interesting and entertaining. A pleasant surprise under the "Special Features" menu is Radetsky's fantastic solo dance scene which wound up being deleted from the final cut (why?). Stiefel and Kent show us why they're stars in the excellent "extended dance sequences" (although the video quality of these bonuses is way below that of the feature presentation, big disappointment). There's also a cool music video by Mandy Moore, featuring the dancing of Radetsky in a more upscale setting. For cinemaphiles, the commentary by director Nicholas Hytner is pretty interesting, though not eloquently delivered.

Overall this is an enjoyable movie that will appeal especially to dance fans.

Permalink | Was this review helpful to you?   (Report this)

Where's My Stuff?

• Track your recent orders.
• View or change your orders in Your Account.

Shipping & Returns

• See our shipping rates & policies.
• See FREE shipping information.
• Return an item (here's our Returns Policy).

Need Help?

• Forgot your password?
• Buy gift cards.
• Visit our Help department.