I have been going back and watching movies from the 80s that for one reason or another, I never watched and Flashdance is one of those movies. Let me tell you right off the bat, this one was not for me at all. Hey, it has its diehard fans, it has a pretty solid soundtrack and the dancing scenes are very well done. However, I was pretty much bored for the majority of the time I watched it and it was so predictable the way that it was all going to end.
How to Download Flashdance
Flashdance was released on April 15, 1983. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
The story here is about a young woman called Alex who is played by the very talented Jennifer Beals who I have to be honest and say…. I really did not like her all that much. Hey, I am a huge fan of many of the things that Jennifer Beals (check her out in The Gurdge 2) has been in and done, most recently The Book of Boba Fett, but the character of Alex did not click with me at all.
Alex is a dreamer and Alex dreams of becoming a dancer and she is a very good dancer, despite not having any proper training. Alex works in a steel mill by day and dances at a cheesy cabaret by night. At this cabaret, she has fellow co-workers who have their own hopes and dreams of stardom. By “chance” one night she is dancing when a man called Nick sees her.
The Love Story in Flashdance
What makes this more interesting is that Nick is not just some random dude at this cabaret. Nick is also Alex’s boss at the steel mill and it blows his mind to see her like this and he takes a romantic interest in her. Alex just keeps of dreaming being a dancer and she wants to go to this fancy dance school, but cuts and runs before even properly applying.
Nick though has some connections and manages to get Alex an audition. Rather than being grateful, Alex freaks out and tells Nick that she will not do the audition. Granted, you know how this is all going to wrap out, but I just could not fathom why she would be so proud to not take this amazing opportunity that someone who truly cares about her has gone out of their way to make happen! As I said, I really did not care for Alex a great deal, and the way the movie ended had me really rolling my eyes.
Is Flashdance Worth Watching Today?
I came into Flashdance expecting a cheesy fun good time with some early 80s classics and some great dance scenes. To be fair, the 80s classics are here and the dancing is very impressive, although I found it interesting to learn that it was a body double who did most of the dancing for Alex. The thing is the boring plot and the not super likable main character was such a chore to sit through that the fun dancing and music never felt worth it.
Hey, if you love Flashdance… and there are a lot of people who do, more power to you. Perhaps if I had seen this during my teenage years I would have liked it more. However, I have seen similar “dancing/dancer” type movies that are way better than this one, Footloose for example is cheesy and ridiculous as hell, but it is way more fun than this.
