Freak Dance

Freak Dance is a musical for people who enjoy dancing but can not stand stupid danceflicks. With a look on the IMDb rating those people are just a minority, but that should not keep you you from watching a funny, artistic and intelligent movie. Every stereotype about dance, like the rich white girl learning to hip hop and winning the dance competition, is presented with extreme irony. Yes, I just wrote extreme irony and as silly as it sounds, you will surely agree after watching Freak Dance. The forbidden and dirty dance, the male dancing rebel, the poor working class dancer and the dance for political reasons, this bad excuses for acting have taken away the fact that dancing is just dancing and that this is enough to be a respected form of art. Freak Dance does dancing some justice and is surprisingly entertaining and above all very well danced and sung.

A spoiled rich girl who wants to be a dancer (Megan Heyn) finds herself caught into between two rival dance groups set to do battle at an underground competition.

I walked into this with the lowest of expectations. Upright Citizens Brigade was never top-tier, making more bad skits than good (they are the poor man's Kids in the Hall). And a film mocking dancing films? Sounded cheap and a bit late on the scene. Even the names Amy Poehler, Tim Meadows and more were not thrilling, as I assumed (correctly) they had only brief roles.

I was wrong on some of this. This movie was hilarious beginning to end, with incredible songs and entertaining dancing. The plot is stupid and pointless, but that is quite the point -- ignore the plot and just enjoy the scenes one at a time.

I stumbled across 'Freak dance' just because of the cast involved. I had mixed to low expectations - but from the very beginning I was hooked. This is an absolute blast!

'Freak dance' is well and truly a comedy musical in the purest sense. While there is a good actual plot on hand, every scene is first and foremost an excuse for exaggerated, fantastical song and dance. The whole cast is extraordinarily talented in both arenas, and over the top as all the characters are, they give wonderful performances, bringing out whatever nuance the writing may give them.

Even as the feast for our eyes is first and foremost, there's a strong element of parody, reflecting popular movies of recent years about street dance (and a tertiary riff on 'The Warriors,' just because). Themes, and therefore jokes, revolve around class, race, privilege, and municipal bureaucracy, and further poke fun at various film tropes. Dance in the world of 'Freak dance' is tantamount to crime, sin, and treason, but is also akin to superpowers; reproductive organs are tools that aid in one's dance ability. Amazingly, the movie is also stringently, if sarcastically, anti-drug.

Costume design and makeup are outstanding, nearly just as essential to the picture. Set design and decoration looks swell, and sound throughout the picture is pristine, letting us hear every beat and lyric as clear as day. And, once more - while the exquisite dance choreography is most important of all here, the songs themselves are infectious.

There are a few points when jokes become a bit much, but even then, the practiced direction of Matt Besser, filming his own screenplay, smooths out even the roughest of edges. The high-functioning production level of the Upright Citizens Brigade is on full display in 'Freak dance,' and it's a gift to any viewer with an appreciation for features like this. Moreover, though I'm repeating myself - the cast is superb. Star Megan Heyn gets the most time on screen, but is matched or exceeded in her skills by the likes of Sam Riegel, Angela Trimbur, or Michael Daniel Cassady - who also composed the original music herein.

I'm not sure what more to say. Words can hardly describe the songs or the dance sequences that fill 'Freak dance,' and seem hardly enough to really capture just how funny, brilliant, and endearing the whole movie is. Anyone who doesn't like musicals won't find anything to like here, either, but if you're open to the genre - and comedy that's silly and sometimes crude - then is all but a must-see.

I began watching with deep suspicion, but fell in love almost immediately. 'Freak dance' is a complete joy!

This certainly wasn't Oscar-worthy, but as a spoof of the worst parts of every other dance movie ever, they carried it off pretty well. Some of it fell flat, but other parts were remarkably charming. It's the best spoof musical I've seen yet.

It could have been better, but almost any film could have been. Getting Andrew Lloyd-Weber to write the music, consulting Robin Williams on some of the jokes, getting A-list acting talent - any of these would have improved the movie. They didn't have the budget for any of that, though - and they didn't really need to, either. If you like spoofs, and can sit through a musical (with music far better than Repo had, at least), I think you'll consider it time well-spent.

To be frank, I had never heard of UCB. After watching this film, I can honestly recommend UCB as one of the better modern dance troupes. I enjoy everything from Jabbawockeez to Fanny Pak, but my true passion is for QUALITY dance of ANY style. Ned and Mindy Grenlovitz slow dance the hell out of the floor of Paddy's Drinky Hole every Sunday at 10 pm. Though they probably have no idea who I am, I just want them to know I know who they are. And that I'm always watching them -- just like you should always be watching this movie!

LOL, I just realized how WEIRD that sounded! I didn't mean Fanny Pak, I meant Super Cr3w.