Diksha Sundriyal
In these depressing and sad times, the littlest of sparks of joy can light up your day. Feel-good movies couldn’t have been more important than they are in the current situation and feeling the need of the viewers, Netflix has been rolling out some great stuff. ‘Feel the Beat’ is another routine to give us a reprieve from the crumbling world outside our doors, and it succeeds greatly in living up to its purpose. It leaves you with a smile and a great feeling, and that’s about all that we can ask from a movie.
Feel the Beat Plot
April left her hometown in Wisconsin to be a Broadway dancer in New York City. Driven by her ambition, she is hardworking and committed. She is ready to do whatever it takes to make her mark, even if that means stealing a cab from an old lady on a rainy day, and that’s exactly what she does on the day of the biggest audition of her life. She reaches the studio on time and gives a brilliant performance. She is almost chosen for the part, but then the old lady comes back in the picture and it turns out that she is Ruth Zimmer, one of the biggest names in Broadway.
April tries to make her understand just how important the job is for her, but this only makes matters worse when she accidentally pushes Ruth off the stage. It officially marks the end of her career, but on top of that, the whole thing is recorded by someone and it starts trending on social media. The only escape for her now is her hometown, where her failure is still a secret. Her fate takes a turn for the better when she is offered to train a group of amateur dancers to win a competition.
Feel the Beat Review
Dance means so many things to people. For some, it can be a demanding profession that celebrates perfection, but for others, it can be a much simpler joy where the synchronization of steps doesn’t matter. Netflix’s ‘Feel the Beat’ balances these elements through a protagonist who is set in her ways and her unlikely disciples who know nothing about professional dance, let alone winning a national contest. The contrasting characters at the center allow it to have some conflict that gives meaning to the story while also neatly tying the dance routines with it.
The core idea of ‘Feel the Beat’ is nothing we haven’t seen before. In fact, all the dance movies have some repeating elements, and for anyone who has seen a lot of them, the story is quite predictable from the first scene to the last. If you have seen the trailer, you know pretty much everything you need to know about the story. But the fun of these films is not in the plot or the storyline itself, and ‘Feel the Beat’ reminds you of that.
In other movies of this genre, you’d stay for the jaw-dropping dance routines meticulously choreographed in a way that your wish to be a professional dancer is reignited. This film, on the other hand, pushes beyond that. It reminds the audience as well as the protagonist that happiness doesn’t always coincide with perfection or going at something with such force that you leave other things behind. Though once again, this is not a very original lesson taught by a movie, it is one that perhaps all of us need reminding, time and again.
When it comes to the dance routines, the film doesn’t take it above and beyond, as it often happens in such films. And in doing so, it grounds itself in reality, making it more relatable to the audience, especially the young ones who are still exploring their talents. The film is more kid-friendly and that’s what it sticks to. Yes, there is hardly anything new about it, but it still manages to keep you interested, and the reason behind that is the kids. The young cast of ‘Feel the Beat’ steals the show, with the dance as well as the acting.
The group has diverse characters and each of them comes with their own development arc which is fun to watch. Their cuteness melts your heart and their humor makes you crack up at unexpected times. Had they been put on the sidelines, perhaps this film would have turned out to be just another dance routine that lacks any depth or dimension. However, the filmmakers knew better and utilized their best assets to deliver a charming and heart-warming film.
Rating: 2.5/5
Read More: Where Was Feel the Beat Filmed?
