TV Movie Review: Turn the Beat Around

Thanks for checking out our Turn the Beat Around review.

Genre: Dance Drama
Directed by: Bradley Walsh
Staring: Romina D’Ugo, Brooklyn Sudano, David Giuntoli
Released: February 26, 2010

THE GENERAL IDEA

Set in the competitive L.A. dance scene, the film tells the story of Zoe (Romina D’Ugo), a struggling young dancer who gets the opportunity to fulfill her dreams when she convinces Michael (David Giuntoli), a wealthy nightclub owner, to open a new club with a disco theme. However, as Zoe gets closer to realizing her professional ambitions, her personal and professional lives collide and she finds herself caught between the club’s young owner, her dancer boyfriend (Adam Taylor Brooks) and the sexy, overly ambitious choreographer (Brooklyn Sudano) she might be about to replace. Zoe must fight to overcome all the obstacles before her, in order to become the dancer she’s always wanted to be.

THE GOOD

While this starts out looking like its going to be a showcase of new music, after the first 15 minutes they kind of back off the name dropping and song features. While this is an MTV movie, and features dancers as the main stars, it does do a decent job not being a 90 minute music video.

THE BAD

This is a dance movie, and while I didn’t mind the drama and character interaction there are a few side characters that really don’t matter. What I was more disappointed with was that there really wasn’t all that much dancing. The movie is about a dancer, becoming a choreographer and performing a floor show for the opening of a cub whose theme was her idea. And the dancing is a little anticlimatic.

So perhaps we can assume it was putting its weight in the drama so it doesn’t get written off as a good dancing movie. Well, there is a core story, but it feels a little rushed, and at its turning point it feels a little random.

OVERALL

Not a bad film, but I wouldn’t say it was a great film either. If you are home on a Friday night and want some light entertainment, this wouldn’t kill you.

I think if they were trying not to be an MTV Dance video and more of a Drama, they could have hired dramatic actors instead of dancers. Just sayin.

On a side note, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this was filmed in my own home town. The desserted hotel that they are using in the film to open the new theme night club in is actually the Classic Royal York Hotel (shortened to The Royal in the film) in downtown Hamilton Ontario Canada. The once great monument to the Hammer’s downtown core, where I stayed in the Prime Minister’s suite on the first night of my Honeymoon, and many years before had my prom. Seeing these very familiar locations in a film is fun.

This is MTVs second original feature made directly for TV airing this coming Friday and will leap from small screen to direct to dvd March 9th.

I give Turn the Beat Around a 5 out of 10