Tap Dance

First there is great dance. This has a good collection of virtuoso tap dance scenes. I am not an expert on tap; these are good dancers. A cameo by Sammy Davis Jr. Secondly, the love scene really moved me. It is understated, yet it brought me back to my younger days. Overall, the film has a simple and solid story. There is a child whose role enhances the adult story. The "gangster" parts may seem weak--this is not "Goodfellas". But they do the job to balance out the sentimental stuff. The water dripping...perhaps it is not quite a metaphor. But it is the foundation for a rhythm, a rhythm that ties the sordid part of the protagonists life (prison) with an opportunity to break free from the underworld. Gregory Hines plays the role of a man who needs to decide what he really wants. He has an idea for a creative venture. He can have the meaningful relationship that has eluded him. That would be with the redoubtable woman admirably played by Suzzanne Douglass. Always there is the pull of his past criminal ties. I really identified with all of the characters in this charming film.

Max is the son of Sonny, who was a great tap dancer. Max has inherited his father's talent but there are few opportunities to use it, so he has had to turn to crime. The big question: will he be able to go straight using his talent? The dancing is what makes this movie work, but Sammy Davis Jr. gives a wonderful performance as a washed-up dancer, and Sandman Sims makes an impact as a cynical former dancer who doesn't think much of today's music and dance. Gregory Hines does a capable job too. Savion Glover is also quite good as Amy's son. Suzzanne Douglass is good as dance teacher Amy.

At the time this movie was made, Gregory Hines must surely have been the best living tap dancer. If he wasn't, one of his co-stars probably was. In one of the movie's most memorable scenes, Max comments that the old men don't have the ability any more. They take this as a challenge and display incredible talent. Little Mo and Max actually have a duel of sorts, much like the Arthur Smith composition adapted as 'Dueling Banjos' for 'Deliverance'.

Another great scene is the one where Max shows where he got his ideas for routines by dancing in the streets of New York while construction is going on.

And there is the scene where 11-year-old Lewis is teaching Amy's dance class above Sonny's.

There was plenty of good music here, but surprisingly, a lot of the dancing was done without music--though what I like most about tap is the music made by the dancers, much like the percussion style of Buddy Rich. I especially liked the arrangement of 'Cheek to Cheek' which started out as elevator music when Max and Amy were dancing ballroom style, but changed over to jazz when they switched to tap. I wasn't crazy about attempts to make tap more hip by adding special equipment to shoes so the dancing could be heard with rock music, but it made the movie interesting.

This was worth seeing.

While the story isn't up to par, as many have said, it's really just a sort of excuse to allow these great, great dancers to get up and do their thing on screen. And, let's be honest. You've got a lot of just awesome talent up there. Jimmy Slyde, Sammy Davis Jr., Sandman Sims, Steve Condos (very little of him, however), Gregory Hines, Diana Ross, Gregory Hines, and in his very first film role, Savion Glover.

It's so strange to see him as a kid, now, though. I'm used to seeing the thirty-some odd year old with the long dreads and scraggly beard, not the kid with short hair and nary a whisker 'bout his face. But, even at this stage, he's just awesome.

I'll admit, I've stolen a couple of steps from the people up there in this movie, from time to time. I know I don't do them half as well as they do, but I don't have as much experience as they do.

I keep thinking that they're going to remake this movie one day with Glover in the Hines' role. That'd be just awesome. But then, almost all the other hoofers in the film like Sims and Slyde, are much to old to be doing film roles any more. That's not meant to be an insult, but they're in their eighties, at least.

All in all, a good film. Hines, you will be missed.

This movie showed the extreme talent of Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr. and all of the fine old hoofers. It also shows that even though you may get older you still have to keep your legs. Tap dancing is a very demanding art.

If you like tap dancing, this is one of the rare opportunities to see tap legends like Jimmy Slyde, Sandman Sims, Henry LeTang, and Harold Nicholas along with latter-day tap wizards Gergory Hines and Savion Glover and icon Sammy Davis, Jr. Dianne "Lady Di" Walker even has a cameo appearance.

This movie is glued together with a questionable plot and some illogical excuses to tap dance. But who cares? Once these folks are dancing, nothing else matters.

P.S. Look (and listen) for the incomparable Etta James singing in the club scene.