Sorry, this movie sucks

Brilliant and touching

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

The acting in this movie is really good.

Small town girl moves to the big city to make it as a dancer. But fails the audition "Save the Last dance"-style. Then she gets a job at a club "Coyote Ugly"-style, where she gets to unfold her talent. Well, I didn't mind the rip-off scenario, I liked those movies and I could have enjoyed their mash-up. The thing is, this was supposed to be a dance flick but 1) there wasn't enough dancing and 2) the dancing was bad. Winstead looks gorgeous but that doesn't make her a dancer. She was definitely below average, her dance scenes were boring. And the choreography sucked. What's the point of doing pirouettes when "Push It" is playing? That's clearly not expressing the music. There are a bunch of dance flicks much more worthy of your time than this one.

Following the success of dance spectacles such as 'Stomp The Yard', 'Save The Last Dance' and 'You Got Served', film goers now have 'Make It Happen'…but can it step up to its predecessors and dance up a box-office storm??? Like its forerunners, 'Make It Happen' follows a generic storyline. Country gal' Lauryn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaves hicks ville to pursue dancing in the big smoke…only to be bitterly disappointed when her audition for the Chicago School of Music and Dance ends up a spectacular flop. Dreams shattered, Lauryn finds work at seedy burlesque club 'Ruby's'. Here she meets disc jockey Russ (Riley Smith), where an inevitable spark is lit between the two. Pretty soon her dance career heats up also; she takes center stage, performing burlesque/hip-hop fusions to a screaming audience each night. It is at 'Ruby's' where Lauryn is forced to reevaluate her dreams, her family, her life and love…taking her on the ultimate journey of self discovery… Lauryn's transformation from heavily made-up, sexy country hick to heavily made-up, sexy dancer…is nothing short of…well…nothing. Lauryn is a flat, uninspired, martyr who comes across as the ultimate drip…a wet blanket some might say. Winstead has a certain screen presence…yet the script dumbs down any moments of authenticity in her performance. The supporting cast is not worth mentioning; they play it by the numbers and it's all a very trite."But who gives a Shiite about the characters and story?" I hear you say…"We're all watching it for the dancing!" Surely a film with such a wafer thin plot and stale protagonists would compensate with breathtaking, sexy and exhilarating dance sequences…right? WRONG. When the dance sequences should be sizzling, they end up fizzling…when they are about to pack a punch, they give the audience a floppy and limp wrist. They are competently filmed, and edited with a sense of rhythm, yet memorable moments = ZILL. The film attempts to explore the somewhat risqué style of burlesque dance…but wants to keep a PG rating…so everything about 'Ruby's' feels completely toned down.For a dance movie, there is very little dancing. Unfortunately this means the audience sits through excessive amounts of predictable dialog before anything remotely exciting happens. At times it almost reaches "it's so lame it's good!" status…but never quite gets there. 'Make It Happen' really doesn't make anything happen at all…save your money and watch highlights of So You Think You Can Dance on You Tube.

How do you approach a dance movie? I feel that the story takes a firm back seat, in providing a wafer thin excuse to string some opportunities for dancing onto the screen. Granted there are some excellent story lines that come once in a while, but most times, you'd get the rudimentary dancer character who has to prove that he/she can dance to a group of nay-sayers consisting of peers or snooty judges, fall in love, and of course to rise above all challenges to claim the prize / gain acceptance from the community.Brought to us from the writer of movies such as The Step Up and Save The Last Dance movies, here comes something that doesn't disappoint, in that it sticks to formula so that you know what to expect, nothing more or less. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who played John McClane's grown up daughter in Die Hard 4, and scream queen in Final Destination 3) takes on the mantle of the downtrodden dancer wannabe Lauryn, who felt that she's responsible for the family garage business, until she decides to pursue her dream by leaving the small town, and head for the bright lights in the big city.Her audition with the Chicago School of Music and Dance was a complete washout, and confidence shaken, takes to the temp-ing at a lounge called Ruby's, where she helps to cook the books. But you can bet your last dollar that this is the venue with which she'll fall in love, with a fellow music engineer Russ (Riley Smith), while lapping the coincidental opportunities for her to showcase some of her moves, before becoming an established member of the pussycat dolls of dance.Story aside, which packed a wallop with superficial antsy challenges from established peers, an unforgiving brother who couldn't fathom her passion, and a boyfriend who can't wait to get into her pants, coupled with the nagging thought of failure and that she's no good for the Ivy League school for dance, we're really here for the set dance pieces, aren't we? There aren't many of them which stood out, given that they aren't as innovative or fused some genres together to come up with an amalgam of moves, though the character of Lauryn probably was supposed to show how an unpolished gem got to go through the paces at a club, before coming through and achieving success by her measure.And the lounge setting does provide for some sensual, provocative costumes to drape the lithe and tall frame of Winstead's, though I had to admit I thought her assortment of hoods, wigs and the likes provided for some convenient cover-up for a body double to take over, until of course I read that she had some background in dance. There are some routines that I genuinely liked, but the one at the finale, which should be the mother of all moves in any dance movie, was the one that seriously packed a punch, with improvisation, and a combination of ballet with hip-hop, without being too obvious or conscious about it.Yes, you've seen one you've seen them all, at least for the narrative aspect. If you're patient to sit through the dramatic portions, you'll find yourself cheering with the crowd when the dancers take to the platform. Soundtrack too was nothing short of expectations, and I give it brownie points for the inclusion of a disco retro.

To be honest, the only reason that I went to watch this movie at the cinema was because I attend a club which involves dancing. Quite a few of the routines that we do are based on songs or dance sequences from movies such as Step Up. Upon seeing the trailers for Make It Happen, I thought that I should go to see it, just in case we try a routine which is related to the film. Still, I am likely to commend myself if I can remember most of this lacklustre movie in a couple of weeks.Lauryn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has dreamt of being a dancer for most of her life. However, after auditioning for the prestigious Chicago School of Music and Dance and being rejected, her hopes are severely damaged. Soon after this failure, she becomes a dancer at a burlesque club called Ruby's, and is a major success. However, Lauryn's family and her dreams soon begin to clash, and she must choose between the two...Make It Happen contains two positive elements. The dance sequences are extremely sexy and are also packed with confident energy. In the lead role, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is instantly likable and human. She isn't terrific, but she is still good enough that she puts the rest of the cast (who seem to be waiting for their pay cheques) to shame.Unfortunately, apart from the dancing and Winstead's performance, the movie falls flat. The plot is utterly predictable, the writing and direction are incredibly lazy and the pacing drags. This just feels like an attempt to cash in on the big public response to movies such as the High School Musical and Step Up instalments.So, my recommendation is to give this film a miss. I'm not really a fan of this type of movie, but I don't think that even hardcore fans will be satisfied by this superficial product. If you're looking for a good, enjoyable and pure musical experience at the cinema, it's still not too late to catch Mamma Mia!