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Musical Chairs

  • 20112011
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
5.5/10
317
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Musical Chairs (2011)
When his dancer partner, Mia, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing contest.
Play trailer2:09
3 Videos
7 Photos
  • Drama
  • Romance

When, Mia, a dance teacher, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando, a would-be dancer who admires her from afar, persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing ... Read allWhen, Mia, a dance teacher, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando, a would-be dancer who admires her from afar, persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing contest.When, Mia, a dance teacher, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando, a would-be dancer who admires her from afar, persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing contest.

IMDb RATING
5.5/10
317
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Susan Seidelman
  • Writer
    • Marty Madden
  • Stars
    • Leah Pipes
    • E.J. Bonilla
    • Priscilla Lopez
Top credits
  • Director
    • Susan Seidelman
  • Writer
    • Marty Madden
  • Stars
    • Leah Pipes
    • E.J. Bonilla
    • Priscilla Lopez
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 13User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
    • 46Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos3

    U.S. Version
    Trailer 2:09
    U.S. Version
    Musical Chairs
    Clip 1:24
    Musical Chairs
    Musical Chairs
    Clip 1:28
    Musical Chairs

    Photos7

    Musical Chairs (2011)
    Musical Chairs (2011)
    Musical Chairs (2011)
    Musical Chairs (2011)
    Musical Chairs (2011)
    Still from the film "Musical Chairs"

    Top cast

    Edit
    Leah Pipes
    Leah Pipes
    • Miaas Mia
    E.J. Bonilla
    E.J. Bonilla
    • Armandoas Armando
    Priscilla Lopez
    Priscilla Lopez
    • Isabelas Isabel
    Jamie Tirelli
    Jamie Tirelli
    • Bernardoas Bernardo
    Laverne Cox
    Laverne Cox
    • Chantelleas Chantelle
    Nelson Landrieu
    • Wilfredoas Wilfredo
    Angelic Zambrana
    Angelic Zambrana
    • Rosaas Rosa
    Morgan Spector
    Morgan Spector
    • Kennyas Kenny
    Philip Willingham
    • Danielas Daniel
    Auti Angel
    Auti Angel
    • Nickyas Nicky
    Jerome Preston Bates
    Jerome Preston Bates
    • Jimmyas Jimmy
    Joey Dedio
    Joey Dedio
    • Chicoas Chico
    Dominic Colón
    Dominic Colón
    • Julioas Julio
    • (as Dominic Colon)
    Joseph Basile
    • Car Accident Witnessas Car Accident Witness
    Tommy Bayiokos
    Tommy Bayiokos
    • Ballroom Danceras Ballroom Dancer
    Teena Byrd
    • Ballroom Audienceas Ballroom Audience
    Kevin Cannon
    Kevin Cannon
    • Actoras Actor
    Ivan Cardona
    Ivan Cardona
    • Dance Competition Guestas Dance Competition Guest
    • Director
      • Susan Seidelman
    • Writer
      • Marty Madden
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A romantic tale of two New Yorkers, Armando Ortiz, from the Bronx, and Mia Franklin, from the Upper East Side, and their unlikely meeting. The story tells how the two of them come together through their love of ballroom dancing. Mia is a beautiful and vivacious professional dancer. Armando works at the midtown Manhattan dance studio in exchange for lessons and fantasizes of a time when he will dance with Mia. But a tragic accident forever changes Mia's life. True to his heart, Armando dedicates himself, along with a group of colorful misfits, to help Mia overcome her painful challenges and dance once more. —Anonymous
    • title directed by female
    • dancer
    • dancing
    • ballroom dancing
    • dance studio
    • 15 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Everybody dances to their own beat.
    • Genres
      • Drama
      • Romance
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG-13 for language, some sexual material and a brief drug reference
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      (2012) Nominated for the Astaire Award for Best Feature Film.
    • Quotes

      Armando: [about the wheelchair ballroom dancing competition] So, if we decide to do this, we have six weeks. That's six weeks to get into shape, to learn new routines. So, I don't know; what do you guys think?

      Kenny: [sullen] I don't know, man.

      Chantelle: Honey, I'm in it to win it.

      Armando: Right, so every wheelchair dancer's gonna need an able bodied partner.

      Kenny: Yeah, man, where are we gonna get one of those?

      Armando: Well, it just so happens, I may have a few volunteers.

      [a montage set to the Debelah Morgan song "Dance With Me" follows]

    • Connections
      Featured in Push Girls: Breaking Back In (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Dance With Me
      Based on the song "Hernando's Hideaway" by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler, from the musical "The Pajama Game"

      Sung offscreen by Debelah Morgan during rehearsal montage

    User reviews13

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Thism movie has the potential to live on a provide inspiration for many people
    This is a movie from which you will learn something about people and about the heart. It is about music and it is about dance . It is about what can happen when a person suddenly finds him or herself in a wheel chair for the rest of their life. Director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan ) takes a screenplay by Marty Madden and somehow does a perfect casting job starting off with E.J Bonilla, a young actor who plays Armando with a flair for music, dance and the ability to project his intensity and his sincerity when he encounters Mia (Leah Pipes) a beautiful young dancer before and after her tragic accident. The story flows as smoothly as the music and the dance of this film. Most of the rest of the engaging cast is this young man's New York Puerto Rican second generation family who owns a restaurant and especially his mother (Pricilla Lopez) who has to struggle with her aspirations for her son and her realization of his love for his new girlfriend. The other group of extraordinary colorful players in this film are the people in wheelchairs who find that they can express themselves in dance. In reality only one of the actors, Auti Angel, who plays Nicky is actually confined to a wheel chair. She was a promising professional dancer who has a true story that is not too far from the plot of this movie. Behind the scenes we understand that she assisted and inspired the actors in wheelchairs to take on their personas. We view this movie as fairy tales where things happen and people say and do things not quite the way they may happen in real life. It reminds us of a musical where it can be convenient to suddenly find a place to sing (or in this case a hospital gym at night to dance in a special way). The characters and some of the dialog are somewhat clichéd. This doesn't seem to really matter because the emotion and the message of the movie is very real. We think everyone should be able to relate to this film and learn something about the human spirit. We also think that it has the potential to live on by teaching young people in schools and be an inspiration for the thousands of people every year who find themselves in a place they never thought they would be. Part of the storyline of the movie is a dance contest being held in New York labeled "The First International Wheelchair Dance Competition" In reality, while wheelchair dancing is big in Europe it hasn't quite caught on in the USA. It would not surprise us if after this film is released and gets around we will see this event in some major city. That is part of the great potential of this movie. FilmRap.net
    helpful•4
    1
    • FilmRap
    • Mar 16, 2012

    FAQ1

    • Is the film's leading man E.J. Bonilla the same actor EJ Bonilla that was nominated for a 2009 Daytime Emmy for his role in The Guilding Light?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 24, 2011 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dança das Cadeiras
    • Filming locations
      • New York City, New York, USA
    • Production companies
      • Active Fox Productions
      • JMC Independent Productions
      • The Film Community
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $2,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $31,478
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $9,092
      • Mar 25, 2012
    • Gross worldwide
      • $31,478
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby

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