I don't know what I was expecting when I hired out Center Stage. I have a habit of selecting teen movies with dance sequences, with fluffy story lines and predictable endings. I was expecting a teen comedy with Center Stage, and perhaps that's why I found the first half slightly disappointing. Plot mechanics and overtly stereotypical characters (what you would expect from a dance-related movie). But at some point Center Stage won me over. It could have been the amazing dancing by newcomers such as lead Amanda Schull, and the equally stunning choreography of the final dances. But there was something besides dancing...perhaps the frequent teen movie conceit of a girl reaching for her dreams, or the setbacks along the way, or perhaps the way in which it was completely predictable, creating a movie that is almost comforting. On some levels it is similar to movies such as Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You (incidently, the actress Susan May Pratt plays who plays Maureen (superbly) in Center Stage also plays Mandella in 10 Things I Hate About You). Of course, with the majority of the parts given to ballet dancers rather than actors, the acting in itself is not outstanding. But I feel that it pays in a movie primarily based around the world of dance, to have trained dancers acting that actors dancing. So, in my opinion, Center Stage is a movie not just for those interested in the world of dance (although of course these people would complete a large chunk of the audience) but a film for those who enjoy easy going, predictable, warm, teen movies.
Review of Center Stage
