Dance Flick

The Wayans’ family brand of comedy has always been dominated by a style that is crude, skewers race, hypes sexuality and aims for shock-inspired laughs, rather than those elicited from clever timing and inspired writing. “Dance Flick” continues that legacy, but seems more like a string of skits from IN LIVING COLOR than a well-developed satire on the dance movie genre. With its outrageous sight-gags, jokes based on sexual anatomy and racial stereotypes, “Dance Flick” promises to offend many and cannot be recommended, especially to teens for which it is targeted.

“Dance Flick” introduces the second generation of Wayans with Damien Dante Wayans as the writer/director/producer, Craig Wayans as the co-executive producer and Damon Wayans Jr. as lead character THOMAS.

SAVE THE LAST DANCE and STOMP THE YARD seem to be the movies where they drew the major plotlines. MEGAN, a brokenhearted Juilliard reject, transfers to a predominantly black musical high school and falls in love with a reluctant thug, THOMAS, who teaches her how to “get jiggy with it.” HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, RAY, and HAIRSPRAY were also spoofed, among others.

The movie begins with a dance battle between two rival crews. THOMAS takes the floor with a move that ends with his leg hiked and “spraying” his opponent like a dog would a fire hydrant. A dancer from the opposing crew steps up and contorts his body to the point that he sticks his own head up his rear end. The visual is very disturbing. The final dance battle of the movie should have been epic and grand, but seemed anticlimactic. All the dance moves were punctuated with cheap sight-gags, which elicited more groans than laughs.

MEGAN tries to fit in by going to the club and trying to assimilate through dress and dance. The Bible tells us not to be conformed to the pattern of the world, but to be transformed by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2). The foundation of the dance battles is pride. One crew tries to out-perform the other, usually for a cash prize, but more importantly for bragging rights. But pride, according to the Bible, always leads to a fall (Proverbs 16:18). James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

The usual Wayans clan, Sean, Kim and Keenan—most of whom supply just mediocre performances—weighs down the cast roster. Damon Wayans Jr., as THOMAS, does a descent job with mindless material but shows promise with comedic timing. Shoshana Bush is adequate as MEGAN. Marlon Wayans gives a commendable performance as an over-the-top acting teacher. Essence Atkins, manages to play CHARITY, a stereotypical ghetto teen mother, with such energy that she brightens every scene she is in. And comedian David Allen Grier dons a fat suit as gangster SUGAR BEAR and spoofs the DREAMGIRLS song “And I am Telling You…”

“Dance Flick” sinks low on the morality meter by taking the Lord’s name in vain, repeatedly referring to women as female dogs, and using genitalia to generate cheap laughs. The misuse of sex (outside of marriage, homosexuality, etc.) is the source of many of the jokes. For example, a guidance counselor encourages two students making out in the hallway to not use a condom and then continues a tour. At the dance battles, guns are frequently drawn and pointed to someone’s head. For these and too many reasons to list here, I cannot recommend this movie for any audience.

With the Wayans well-established in Hollywood, I would have hoped that they would have trained the next generation to break the mold beyond crude humor. The Bible instructs us to train our children in the way that they should go, so that when they are old, they will not depart (Prov. 22:6). It also warns us to stay away from dirty and silly talk (Ephesians 5:4b). The Bible does tell us that a good man leaves an inheritance for his children. But what parent wants to leave money without establishing good morals? Ephesians 6:4 instructs fathers to bring up children in “Christian discipline and instruction” (God’s Word).

Violence: Heavy / Profanity: Extreme / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

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