Center Stage: On Pointe (2016 TV Movie) User Reviews

Decent attempt at expressing a little known world...

[exlemor · 5/10 · 13 September 2016]

I wonder how many of the other reviewers have *actually* danced or been in a Ballet company/auditions. I may be a hetero guy but I did 8 years of Ballet.

While the main actress Nicole may have lacked in *enough* ballet training, she did a pretty good job considering. I am so tired of people judging body type or shape to judge if or if not they can or can not be a dancer... wake up people, we are in 2016, the world is not a cage made of perfect ballerinas... we are all different and all allowed to express who we are through dance.

This is no different than a movie like High Strung where the main actor does NOT play the Violin well (been playing that since I was 5) and yet people don't get nearly as bent out of shape and yet for me, it's somewhat painful to watch...

One aspect of the movie that I find quite accurate and well played out is the competition, gossiping, even some would say backstabbing that happens in the Ballet world..

The plot is interesting while not entirely original if you spend enough time in and around Ballet Companies..... The Ballet Instructor, Lorenza was quite hard, harsh, bitter and that is quite common and realistic.

For most people who have no idea what the Ballet world or even dance world is really about this is a nice introductory glimpse into the discipline, amount of work, difficulty that it is...

All in all, I'd probably be willing to give it a 6 out of 10 but settled on 5 for the lack of authenticity of the main actress' dancing even though I am sure she tried very hard. Plus we don't know who was there to coach the quality of dancing during production so it's a little too easy to give 1-2 reviews and give out very harsh comments.

I found it entertaining enough and didn't find myself wanting to fast forward once or quit watching. Even though there are better movies in the genre, it was still a nice way to spend time while stuck in bed with a leg injury.

a mild merited third or fourth remake of Center Stage

[Dunham16 · 7/10 · 13 July 2016]

The original film was a knockout about how hopefuls for professional ballet companies are selected to train for possible future job placement. Some of its top performers, among them Peter Gallagher as the impresario of both companies and Ethan Stiefel as well as Mr. "Divine Stella Abrera" - Saha Radetsky as former star dancers now ballet troupe faculty/artistic masters. They of course shine in both films. The cast works and the photography/editing works to a great extent. Many of the concepts would not be valid in 2000 when the first film was made because this film is about people not used to the culture or the work ethic of the profession primarily complaining about it. In the original film the talented Zoe Saldana did an award winning job of her fictitious character at first the only angry rebel in the group and later its greatest traditional route achiever. Some photography has ghetto language and snobbish rivalry among the students not unlike that behind the scenes in the original but more open and more at the center of the film. Many good points and in some ways compelling all the way through yet not a traditional ballet film for example the pas de deux competition which is the highlight of the film shows the male partners dancing for only seconds barefoot in what seems to be on for television camera work undershirt and underpants but not as traditionally in ballet attire performing a whole sequence.

A missed opportunity

[MihaiSorinToma · 7/10 · 25 July 2017]

When the ABC Company, who's been focused only on classic ballet for many years, gets on the verge of bankruptcy, they decide to mix it with modern dance in order to attract more people to their shows but also investors. A dance contest is organized and the selected ones are sent for six weeks into a camp for training and final selection.

The story focuses on a girl who specializes in modern dance but must now adapt to a new world of rules and obedience which ballet requires. Together with her partner and new friends, they must help each other in order to pursue their dreams. Although it sounds pretty cliché, the idea is good enough. Unfortunately, the plot isn't good enough, being very linear, superficial and predictable most of the time. The characters are likable and although not very complex, they manage to create and maintain a good dancing atmosphere which is pleasant to the eye. You'll also find some pretty enjoyable music, making it a pleasure to see the actors dance. As said before, it's a shame that the plot is not helping much, leaving much room to improve, especially in terms of depth. It has a tendency of simplifying things way too much, making the predictable finale even less satisfying than it would have been.

Let me put it this way, if you like music and dancing, you'll find a good movie to watch in this one. If you expect to see a good story and well defined characters which can provide suspense, drama and emotion, you're going to be disappointed by it.

How dare you call her dancing contemporary and modern?!

[MovieIQTest · 2 September 2016]

Jesus, what a horrible film. The script, the story-line, the directing, the casting and the performance were all bad. This is perhaps the VERY WORST and the WEAKEST film in the contemporary dancing genre. But the worst part of the film is signing Nicole Muñoz to play the center role. I've never seen anything worse than her dancing. I didn't see how she could be cast as a talented contemporary dancer. There's nothing you could call her DANCE as dance. Besides, her legs are too thick, too short, and even worse in her shorts; not a bit helpful to make me believe she got even basic training. Contempo dance is not just moving her legs or turning, or with a smiling face....there are so many elements in that genre. I was so uncomfortable to see her in all the dancing scenes in this film and couldn't help murmuring 'Jesus...what a joke....", so awkward and so weak, albeit laughable.

Just For Teens

[kirbylee70-599-526179 · 4/10 · 14 September 2016]

If you're as old as I am you can remember those movie-of-the-week films that played out on television with regularity. They were well made, for the most part well acted and offered a decent night's entertainment. Most were not films that you would consider classics or worth revisiting but on rare occasion a few of them were just that, the majority not much so. This film falls into the latter category, a well-made movie that the teen scene might enjoy but that for the rest will just seem something to pass the time.

Having never seen the previous films in this series the characters were new to me. Apparently this film only ties into the second. The American Ballet Theater has fallen on hard times. No one seems interested in the classic form of ballet, instead opting for the modern style in vogue. With no choice but to take on the style as well, owner Johnathan Reeves (Peter Gallagher) accepts his fate and the newest group of students will include this form as well.

Among those new students is Bella Parker (Nicole Munoz), sister of Kate Parker from the previous film, a prima ballet dancer. Bella does not have the same inclination as her sister and is more in tune with the new style. She applies and is accepted from among the top students applying. When she gets to the schools training facility she hides who her sister is from the rest of the students.

Bella is faced not with just the problems of learning the classical form of dance or the new form but with the attitude of the main ballet teacher, Lorenza, who feels that anything other than classical ballet is less than worthy of the time and effort of her students. All I could think is she must not be aware of the possibility of the school closing with this attitude. She rides Bella non-stop.

The students are paired up as couples so they can fairly compete when it comes to the slots available for them on the regular staff. The competition is fierce and the two camps, classical and contemporary, find themselves at odds from the get go. Can Bella make her dreams come true of performing on the stage at the American Ballet Theater? Can she reach goals set by her sister's success? Will she help to transform the company with this new style? And will she find love with her partner? The usual backstage stories are found here. Romance with your partner, competition with the snooty students, a teacher who is almost willing to sabotage the entire group because of her uncompromising attitude. In the end *SPOILER* all is well and everyone gets to go home happy.

It's not that this is a bad movie but to be honest is offers nothing new as far as films go. Granted there are some formulaic films that are all the better for it but movies like these feel more like fodder to fill shelves, fulfill contracts or to pad out pay station's playlists. While none of the performers here do a bad job none of them stand out either. It would be nice to see them succeed but it's hard to see that happening based on this film. Gallagher seems to be here long enough to make a quick cameo and pick up a paycheck.

All that being said my guess is that young teens might enjoy the film. There isn't anything too racy for them or anything that will leave them emotionally scarred for life. They'll get that teenage cutesy type romance that films like these deliver, the dancing styles that appeal to them and attractive enough actors to hold their attention. As for adults they'll probably be playing solitaire on their cell phones while the kids watch this one.

Modern dancer Bella auditions for a place at the American Ballet Company

[izamartin · 2/10 · 10 September 2016]

I couldn't enjoy the movie because the lead had such horrible technique. Her legs were never straightened and her toes very never pointed, even in ballet scenes. I've seen many modern and contemporary dances, but her dancing was unpleasant and had nothing to offer. I'm surprised she was allowed to wear toe shoes. She was never on top of them, they were tied incorrectly, and I was constantly worried she'd hurt herself. Some of the other dancers were nice to watch but the lead's dancing made it hard the movie irritating.

The story line could have been decent but the acting was not good. A story following a contemporary dancer entering the strict world of ballet would make for a great plot, especially since the dancer had a famous ballerina sister and was auditioning for a company that sister was rejected from. Despite a promising story line, I found it hard to enjoy the movie because of the acting and the technique of the lead. Overall, the movie was cheesy and did not live up to my expectations.

Can the next one be about Gwen, please!

[CucFan · 10/10 · 16 June 2017]

I enjoyed this film very much, although I was surprised that it premiered on Lifetime instead of Hallmark as it's very much a classic Hallmark movie. From the moment they show up at the camp, these dancers are in competition for a few spots in a newly-reorganized dance company that has been tasked with modernizing itself. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers that I was less impressed with the lead actress's dancing than that of Maude Green, Chloe Lukasiak, and the male dancers. The setting was gorgeous, filmed mostly in an architecturally-intriguing building deep in the forest (Cheakamus Centre in British Columbia, Canada). Competitive rivalries heat up among the ballet dancers as they try to assimilate the contemporary dance style the others are so naturally good at; meanwhile, the contemporary dancers are brushing up their ballet skills. Not having watched the first two movies in this series, I admit I looked forward to it for months solely because Chloe Lukasiak had been cast.

Lukasiak, as most know, was a featured lead dancer on "Dance Moms." On the show, she was often referred to as naturally gifted in ballet, with beautiful lines, legs and feet, as well as excellent technique that she had developed by training since the age of two years old. Her real-life training and experience were quite different from her character, Gwen, who is referred to as a "dance prodigy" yet is almost exclusively a contemporary dancer with not much training in other genres. At the same time she was asked to play Gwen as relatively new to ballet, she was also learning partner work in contemporary and ballet for the first time - in real life as well as in the script. I was pleased that Lukasiak did not disappoint in her dance ability and has been complimented often in reviews of this movie - even by people panning the movie itself - as a dancer who was talented and enjoyable to watch.

From its logical plot sequence to its beautiful setting, this was such an enjoyable movie. Everything was believable: the couples, the improvement as the dancers learned, and even the surprising conclusion of Gwen's company audition - written perfectly in case they want her as the lead in a fourth movie. Although I had prepared myself for her to have few scenes and lines, I was happily surprised when that wasn't the case and she was in so many scenes & danced so much. I was disappointed that she was not in the finale dance, though. Seeing her in ballet class en pointe made up for all that, though, as we fans have been waiting and longing to see that for years. What a treat this movie was for her fans! One thing that Lukasiak seems to bring everywhere she goes is a quiet glow, a sparkling light - and this was no exception. Visually and in contrast to the older, more serious dancers, Gwen added joy and enthusiasm to her scenes, and I found myself interested in the character herself, eager to see what she would do with her dance career, quite separate from the real-life Chloe I have come to respect and admire so much.

Why? The lead actress is all wrong!

[phd_travel · 2/10 · 5 September 2016]

The lead actress Nicole Munoz does not have the body of a dancer of any type modern or classical. She is just too stocky. This isn't a skinny or fat thing - it's a body shape thing. So the whole movie kind of falls apart because she is so wrongly cast.

The premise is weak and the little side stories feel contrived. But things are better when the actors with some proper dance training actually dance. There are so many interesting stories they could have done about a ballet company. This one doesn't come close in any way to the original Center Stage. Even the returning cast like Peter Gallagher and Sasha Radetsky look like they would rather be else where.

An excellent message of unity

[hollywoodgazette · 10/10 · 18 January 2017]

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece in dance but it is a feel good underdog movie about different styles of dance coming together for the greater good. It seems many people missed the plot and immediately zoomed in on technical issues as if they expected to watch a real ballet. Its a movie people, its a threequel. Just relax & enjoy it from that perspective. There were some really funny moments by the actor's and I was particularly watching for the first timer, Chloe Lukasiak. Honestly Chloe could have carried this movie. I was very impressed with her emotion & delivery. I was a little annoyed that she didn't get to dance in the final number but I get it, you had to show someone get cut so why not the youngster. A Gwen movie spin off is almost a must for as good as she was. Nice job everyone. I agree it lacked some character development and I didn't particularly like the slo mo dance moments but still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We need a Gwen follow up next.

Know when to quit

[chriswithkids · 1/10 · 18 March 2017]

This movie would have been better left as an un-shelved idea. I'm a huge fan of the first Center Stage and tolerated the previous sequels but this sequel did no justice to the good name. The actors were horrid, the script was cringe worthy and the story line was beyond ridiculous. It's time to put this horse out of its misery.

Bluuurrp

[Pistol219 · 3/10 · 31 October 2020]

I wanted to like the Bella character, but was not that great of dancer and it was just super cheese fest.

You know it's a good dancing movie when Kenny Wormald is in it.

[chris_ts · 9/10 · 8 March 2021]

Good plot. Intrigue. A little bit of romance. Dance. Kenny Wormald in the role of the choreographer. It's a yes from me.