Movie Review - 'Love N' Dancing'

Love N' Dancing Starring Amy Smart, Tom Malloy, and Billy Zane Directed by Robert Iscove Rated PG-13

Movies like Love N' Dancing are a dime a dozen. Regardless of the highlights, and there are a couple, you've seen so many movies aiming for the exact same target that it's hard for this one to stand out. Worse, the film feels like it's OK with its mediocrity. The acting's derivative without being distracting, the story's only so-so, and the depths are pretty shallow. Low budget films face some huge hurdles, no doubt about it, but it would be easier to form a connection with a movie made outside the system if it didn't resemble a movie made within the system several times a year. Jake (writer Tom Malloy) is a world-class ballroom dancer. He's won some team dancing awards. But because of a broken romantic relationship with his dance partner, Jake thinks he can never achieve it again. He's also deaf, and believes that part of his success stemmed from sympathy for his condition. Jessica (Amy Smart) is not a world-class dancer. She's a public school teacher who is learning to dance for her wedding. Her betrothed (Billy Zane) couldn't care less about the dancing and in fact never even shows up for the lessons. Who's giving the lessons? You're smart enough to figure out it's Jake and you're smart enough to figure out where this goes from here. There are movies like this with younger casts and more intoxicating dance routines and even though the stories are no better, you have to give them the edge; what good is a movie about dancing if you're not impressed by the dancing? If you've got great characters or incredible dialogue, that's one thing. It suddenly becomes a movie about relationships or whatever else is on the agenda with dancing in the background. But when the story's flat and the dancing isn't spectacular, you're only hanging on by a thread. In this case, that thread is Amy Smart. We've seen her in dozens of movies, but rarely in a strong lead role. She does what she can here, showing us more than the looks that get her through the door. But we know what's next, and the material doesn't allow her to be so good that we're not constantly looking around every corner. If you were to catch any two minutes of this on cable one afternoon, you wouldn't think it was that bad. But watching all of it doesn't offer you much more than the bite-sized portion.

Comments

[Vick Boilard]

It's a good movie about the emotionnal and physical connection you need in partnership. If you love dance you will like this movie alot. If you find this kind of dancing not spectacular, you've been watching to much over the top DWTS.

[AngelS]

If you live to dance and know what goes in to preparing for the the championships then you will appreciate this movie. it is hard to find a dance partner to 'fit' and if there is chemistry even beter because it is 2 people sharing a pasion and that is what you call true love. Thanx for a very good movie!!!