Stepping Out

Stepping Out is a gentle feel good musical comedy with plenty of dance numbers. It was supposed to mark a return to form for Liza Minnelli after years of drink and drugs issues.

Minnelli plays Mavis a one time professional dancer in a chorus line in New York who has moved to Buffalo. She starts a dance studio for beginners and ends up getting invited to put on a show for charity.

Her dance class are mainly female with just one guy (Bill Irwin) and range widely in age. Julie Walters plays a hygiene obsessed housewife, Shelly Winters is the temperamental pianist. Everyone has some side issues or problem but will these no hopers get their dance act together in time for the show is the essence of the story.

This is a sweet and enjoyable enough film. Its unpretentious fun, Minnelli does enough to show that in essence she has squandered her talent since her Oscar winning turn as Sally Bowles and there are enough familiar faces in the film to keep your feet tapping along.