Breakin'
Director: Joel Silberg
Year: 1984
Rating: 4.5
I am not sure which of my many human
frailties induced me to watch this film. If I was religious, I would blame
it on the Devil. If I was nostalgic for the 1980s, I might think it was that
but I barely remember the 1980s. For those of you not yet born in the
1980s, feel lucky. You didn't miss anything. The movies began to get bland,
the music overly slick and Reagan was President. And break dancing became
big enough for Hollywood to make a few films that included such as Fame,
Flashdance and Beat Street. Hell, even Donnie Yen had break dancing in one
of his early films (Mismatched). I used to see lots of it whenever I had
to go to Times Square and these groups would be out there on the sidewalk
or in the subway station doing it for change and street cred. The thing for
me was back then and still it appears is that I find break dancing good fun
for five minutes. But by minute ten, I was rapidly walking away. How much
can you watch? This film tested that question.
Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) is a sweet middle
class white girl who has dreams of becoming a professional dancer. She is
taking a class but her instructor tries to teach her a new move called mashing
and she walks out and works at a greasy spoon right out of Mel's Diner. Her
gay dancing friend takes her to Venice Beach where all the kool kids hang
out break dancing. All nearly minorities. And this product of milk and cheese
sees it and goes I can do that. She hooks up with Ozone (Adolfo Quinones)
and Turbo (Michael Chambers) and they form a trio to go for the big contest.
Quell drama as Ozone falls for her but a hunky agent (Christopher McDonald)
moves in. He is white and has champagne parties where everyone looks down
their noses at the threesome - well two of them anyways. Who will she give
her heart to? Well, I may have to watch the sequel Breakin': Electric Boogaloo
to find out. I will hold my breath until then but in the meantime, I want
to watch Dickey using her moves in Ninja III.
