This movie isn't perfect. The acting and script are sometimes a little clunky, but considering dance movies are notoriously difficult to get right, I love this film and I think it gels together well. The casting of Ethan Stiefel as the lead male is a master stroke -- he plays the egotistical yet gifted star extremely well. Amanda Schull as the naive female lead is, to me, more of a natural dancer than actor, but overall, she really does well in quite a meaty role. I love the soundtrack, especially Jamiroquai's 'Canned Heat', and the dancing is fantastic. The locations are very impressive. The sub-plot of the pushy mom living her dreams through her anorexic daughter who doesn't want to be a dance star, is impressive. One flaw is how everything is neatly tied up at the end, and the love scene is terribly awkward, complete with over-wrought music. Also Schull's character stating to her ex-lover that "as a boyfriend, you kind of suck" doesn't ring true. I mean, he's her future employer, and she just wouldn't say that.
Review of Center Stage
