Picture the “Step Up” series (1-3) and “Save the Last Dance” morphed together into one film, but throw in an Italian setting with even worse acting and dancing skills. Voila! You have the ever-so-clever “Let’s Dance”. In addition to the dancing similarities, “Let’s Dance” and its American counterparts share a parallel theme that demonstrates the notion of their characters losing and regaining faith in something they are passionate about. The film is considered to be a Drama, but in conjunction with the bad acting, the horrendous editing and special effects, or lack there of, the film could just as easily be considered a Comedy. As the famous Hooter’s quote goes, this film in two words can be described as “delightfully tacky, yet unrefined,” while managing to convey a somewhat serious message.
Erica (Alice Bellagmba) and Marcos (Andrea Montovoli) are brother and sister who live worlds apart but have one thing in common: a passion for dancing. Erica, the younger sister, lives at home with her parents and attends a prestigious ballet school, while Marcos has been out of the house for some time and lives in the Italian “ghetto” with his dance “crew” of break-dancers. The pair reconnects when Erica telephones her brother in search for some fun and encouragement after being down and not performing to her fullest. Marcos invites Erica to come hang out with his “crew”. A short while into these bonding sessions, we learn that Marcos is facing his own problems as well. Heartbroken, he is determined to win over his ex-girlfriend, Betty, after she joins his rival “crew” team.
After receiving a visit from Erica’s dance teacher, Marcos is inspired to help Erica regain her confidence and faith in dancing. Despite disagreements in the family between Marcos and his parents, they all, along with the “crew,” the professor, and other friends, help Erica once again achieve her near perfect status, just in time for her to perform for her final exams. Erica, the “crew,” and Erica’s dance teacher reciprocate this gesture by helping Marcos win his beloved back and the battle against the “crew” who took her. Erica has her own love story as well. She falls for the only black Italian known as “Congo,” derived quite simply from the obvious. Amid all of this action, good music plays, and of course what would a film with the word “dance” in the title be without some adequate dancing?
The horrific acting contributes to the film’s comedic and lighthearted elements. The way the actors portrayed certain lines came across as over the top dramatic to the point of being cheesy, and though most of these particular moments were intended to be serious, it was hard to keep a straight face. The moments meant to be intimate, instead were corny and easily laughed at. Furthermore, Montovoli’s character was the lead of his “crew”, yet he could not dance to save his life. At one point in the film, his character raps/sings a song to his ex-girlfriend, and if I being honest, it was one of the best parts of the entire film. It is not yet confirmed if it was actually him singing, but if so, Montovoli, you need to reconsider your career aspirations! I highly doubt that the director intended for the acting to be so awkward, but hey, it had a lot of us laughing and enjoying ourselves!
Acting easily constitutes as a major contributor to the success or failure of a film, but a film’s transitions and the editing on the whole for that matter supply much of the movie’s success as well. In this particular case, the editing aids in the poorly constructed project. The transitions did not help the film flow together, but rather made parts choppy and incoherent. Some shots were unnecessarily long and awkward and some were the complete opposite. For instance, I think an intimate moment should be prolonged, unlike a majority of the film’s intimate clips. The attempt at special effects did not help the film’s cause either. One particular special effect has Erica rollerblading “eloquently” through what looks to be a 70s disco light design. The effect, completely irrelevant, made the importance of that scene less than insignificant.
As with most dancing movies, the soundtrack is one of its best features. The music entertained me to the extent that I was dancing in my seat. Despite a majority of it being in Italian and not being able to understand a single word, the music made me feel like a kid again. The uplifting music, as compared with everything else wrong about the film, ultimately holds the film together.
In addition to the well-developed soundtrack, the film’s second best component, the overall message, relays a concept that many of us are familiar with: losing faith in ourselves. For Erica, she dreams of being a professional ballerina one day, but loses her ability to connect emotionally because she starts to doubt and question herself. Motivation and a little help from her family and friends is all it takes to get her back on her feet and realize her full potential. I, and I know many others, can relate to this particular theme on many levels. For this reason, I felt a sort of connection to the characters, and I sympathized for them. With a theme like this, “Let’s Dance” almost begs for the audience to become engaged.
In conclusion, if you are looking for an awfully constructed film that will make you laugh, “Let’s Dance” is your answer. Considering Cinzia Bomoll, the director, does not have much directing experience under her belt, she knows how to keep an audience entertained and engaged, despite not being for the particularly idealistic reasons. “Let’s Dance” is a film that young audiences and aspiring film makers can appreciate and gravitate on to make themselves feel better.
Produced by Giannandrea Pecorelli
Directed by Cinzia Bomoll
Starring Alice Bellagamba, Andrea Montovoli
Distributed by Rai Trade Department
Running Time 100 minutes
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