(2013-06-17 07:12:29)

make it happen

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) this is a good movie i alway's like dancing movie's, and winstead alway's play her role good, never seen her in a movie i didin't like, the story may not be considered original by some people, but it's new it's differen't and i deffinitly like this better then coyote ugly.

(2013-06-16 16:47:17)

make it happen

this is a good movie i alway's like dancing movie's, and winstead alway's play her role good, never seen her in a movie i didin't like, the story may not be considered original by some people, but it's new it's differen't and i deffinitly like this better then coyote ugly.

(2013-05-22 02:15:07)

just another small town girl with dancing dreams...

'Make it Happen' is your typical tale of a small town girl named Lauryn(Mary Elizabeth Winstead) with big dreams to leave her job working at her family auto shop and become a dancer in the big city. Of course she gets to the big audition and doesn't merit one of only twenty open spots. Lauryn can't seem to make herself admit defeat, and lucky for her she meets Dana(Tessa Thompson) who not only offers to let her crash at her place, but finds her a job at Ruby's the bar she dances at. Only Lauryn doesn't get a job as a dancer, but as an accountant instead. That is until she gets her big shot when one of the girls can't dance, and she'll have to step up and just make it happen.There's not much more to say about 'Make it Happen', we've seen this movie so many times before under different names: Center Stage, Coyote Ugly, Step Up, Save the Last Dance ... the list goes on and on. When it comes down to it the acting is fine, nothing exceptional, the same goes for the dancing. There was no specific routine that blew my mind, and no fantastically redeeming qualities to speak of.(Although, I must admit Riley Smith as Lauryn's new boytoy Russ was the one thing that really kept me interested....) 'Make it Happen' is the perfect rainy day movie, grab some popcorn or hot chocolate and enjoy it for what it is, some fun, light fluff.

geoffgee

(2013-05-21 16:43:45)

Excellent, intelligent and enjoyable film that is well worth seeing.

I saw Make it Happen this morning and thoroughly enjoyed the film. Ifound the plot to be intelligent, original, interesting and emotionallyengaging. I thought all of the characters in some way evoked mysympathy and the standard of acting was excellent. I enjoyed theromance and felt there was real 'chemistry' in those scenes. Therewasn't as much dancing and music as I expected, but for me that didn'tmatter since I was more interested in the story. (Having said that, Ienjoyed what dancing and music there was very much!) I don't see whyanyone of a romantic nature (male or female) wouldn't thoroughly enjoythis film. It has everything I look for in a movie - and plenty of it.Highly recommended.

(2013-04-21 07:48:26)

mixed feelings about this one

I have to be honest, I watched this movie for 2 reasons One: a smallportion of the movie was taped in my local city. I wanted to check outhow the landmarks where used in the movie (the mechanical shop, thebridge and the club where some landmarks that I recognized), which Ishould add was done really well. Second: In the past I have enjoyeddance movies. This movie is way to similar to "Save the last Dance"basically because I have seen "Save the last Dance" I knew basicallywhat was going to happen in this movie. Besides being a copycat movie Iwould say Make it happen is an entertaining family movie but not asentertaining as Darren Grants other movies I have seen. I willrecommend this movie to my teen aged nieces as the target age would be21 and under.

(2013-04-20 18:31:11)

Loved movie

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) Great movie don't have more to say but worth the money I paid for it. Do yet have more to say.

sophie_so_good

(2013-04-13 01:57:22)

Awful (with serious spoilers)

I'm not sure where to start with this film. To start with, I wasoffended by the fact that her audition routine is criticised for notbeing 'feminine' or 'sensual' enough. However, she becomes good whenshe basically lap dances her way in. This is her great adventure. Thefilm attempts to make it seem decent and respectful to women by puttingsome cheering women in the crowd. Second, the film is basically exactly the same as 'Save the LastDance', which I enjoyed. The plot is more or less the same, without theracial issues in her area, and less convincing acting. While the plot to Step Up 2 basically fell through, the film was savedby the stunning dance routines. The dancing here was not particularlyspellbinding to tell the truth. Finally, the film is so thoroughly formulaic that I basically was ableto plan out all the events in the first 10 minutes. Girl goes toaudition but is crushed- girl is taken in by friendly girl and is givena book-keepers job- girl meets attractive boy but sees him as beingarrogant and not nice- girl makes out with attractive not nice arrogantboy- girl randomly gets on stage and everyone realises she is a star-girl realises her dreams conflict with... things- girl is sent bydomineering brother to audition- girl gets into college!!- horridbitchy person turns out to only have been trying to help her and theyare now good friends... EtcKeep your hard earned cash and go see WALL-E instead.

DICK STEEL

(2013-04-12 12:35:55)

A Nutshell Review: Make It Happen

How do you approach a dance movie? I feel that the story takes a firmback seat, in providing a wafer thin excuse to string someopportunities for dancing onto the screen. Granted there are someexcellent story lines that come once in a while, but most times, you'dget the rudimentary dancer character who has to prove that he/she candance to a group of nay-sayers consisting of peers or snooty judges,fall in love, and of course to rise above all challenges to claim theprize / gain acceptance from the community.Brought to us from the writer of movies such as The Step Up and SaveThe Last Dance movies, here comes something that doesn't disappoint, inthat it sticks to formula so that you know what to expect, nothing moreor less. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who played John McClane's grown updaughter in Die Hard 4, and scream queen in Final Destination 3) takeson the mantle of the downtrodden dancer wannabe Lauryn, who felt thatshe's responsible for the family garage business, until she decides topursue her dream by leaving the small town, and head for the brightlights in the big city.Her audition with the Chicago School of Music and Dance was a completewashout, and confidence shaken, takes to the temp-ing at a loungecalled Ruby's, where she helps to cook the books. But you can bet yourlast dollar that this is the venue with which she'll fall in love, witha fellow music engineer Russ (Riley Smith), while lapping thecoincidental opportunities for her to showcase some of her moves,before becoming an established member of the pussycat dolls of dance.Story aside, which packed a wallop with superficial antsy challengesfrom established peers, an unforgiving brother who couldn't fathom herpassion, and a boyfriend who can't wait to get into her pants, coupledwith the nagging thought of failure and that she's no good for the IvyLeague school for dance, we're really here for the set dance pieces,aren't we? There aren't many of them which stood out, given that theyaren't as innovative or fused some genres together to come up with anamalgam of moves, though the character of Lauryn probably was supposedto show how an unpolished gem got to go through the paces at a club,before coming through and achieving success by her measure.And the lounge setting does provide for some sensual, provocativecostumes to drape the lithe and tall frame of Winstead's, though I hadto admit I thought her assortment of hoods, wigs and the likes providedfor some convenient cover-up for a body double to take over, until ofcourse I read that she had some background in dance. There are someroutines that I genuinely liked, but the one at the finale, whichshould be the mother of all moves in any dance movie, was the one thatseriously packed a punch, with improvisation, and a combination ofballet with hip-hop, without being too obvious or conscious about it.Yes, you've seen one you've seen them all, at least for the narrativeaspect. If you're patient to sit through the dramatic portions, you'llfind yourself cheering with the crowd when the dancers take to theplatform. Soundtrack too was nothing short of expectations, and I giveit brownie points for the inclusion of a disco retro.

(2013-04-10 17:19:52)

A great, have you jumpin in your seat, dance movie, must see!

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) This movie was awesome, fast paced, well choreographed, and high energy. Amust see if you like dance, good music.

(2013-04-10 10:26:40)

Make it Happen

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) I LOVED this movie! the Danicing is good the Story is better,The Music is good,I would like to find the Soundtrack to this movie.

Alan Wong

(2013-02-27 08:57:03)

A Glimpse Into Mary E Winstead Wholesome Qualities & Potential Stardom!

just bought the above DVD from my local video chain outlet (ie. VideoEzy) where i'm blessed to have it in my possession as my country (ie.Malaysia) has a fairly high amount of pirated DVD's products whichcauses licensed video shops to have limited movie titles...well, to start off, apparently there were some deleted scenes in themovie where the producer / director decided to remove the story of Dana(ie.Tessa Thompson) getting pregnant and subsequent miscarriage....due to this removal, i guess viewers could not fully appreciate theclose relationship between Lauryn (ie.Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Danawhich the scriptwriter wanted to relay but was unfortunately chopped…in summary, some of the movie story reflected Mary's personal real lifeexperiences such as being a ballerina when Lauryn was young, has tastefor "off-the-beaten-track" music as composed by Russ (ie. Riley Smith)and I guess due to her holding steadfast to her personal principles,there were no revealing love or kissing scenes in the movie – hurray toMary! Initially, I've watched this movie over YouTube but now with myTV, I could better appreciate Mary's expressive eyes and innocent lookswhich I guess you all guys are all infatuated to, like myself…ha..ha…happy viewing…

(2013-02-27 06:52:06)

Love the burlesque!

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) The story isn't so great, and definitely not original; a combination of Coyote Ugly and Save the Last Dance. The few burlesque performances are fun and too short. Not sure why they kept it so tame. Ending is too obvious.

simmmz

(2013-01-31 03:37:33)

Does Not Make It Happen: The Story of a Wet Blanket ...

Following the success of dance spectacles such as 'Stomp The Yard','Save The Last Dance' and 'You Got Served', film goers now have 'MakeIt Happen'…but can it step up to its predecessors and dance up abox-office storm??? Like its forerunners, 'Make It Happen' follows ageneric storyline. Country gal' Lauryn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) leaveshicks ville to pursue dancing in the big smoke…only to be bitterlydisappointed when her audition for the Chicago School of Music andDance ends up a spectacular flop. Dreams shattered, Lauryn finds workat seedy burlesque club 'Ruby's'. Here she meets disc jockey Russ(Riley Smith), where an inevitable spark is lit between the two. Prettysoon her dance career heats up also; she takes center stage, performingburlesque/hip-hop fusions to a screaming audience each night. It is at'Ruby's' where Lauryn is forced to reevaluate her dreams, her family,her life and love…taking her on the ultimate journey of self discovery…Lauryn's transformation from heavily made-up, sexy country hick toheavily made-up, sexy dancer…is nothing short of…well…nothing. Laurynis a flat, uninspired, martyr who comes across as the ultimate drip…awet blanket some might say. Winstead has a certain screen presence…yetthe script dumbs down any moments of authenticity in her performance.The supporting cast is not worth mentioning; they play it by thenumbers and it's all a very trite."But who gives a Shiite about the characters and story?" I hear yousay…"We're all watching it for the dancing!" Surely a film with such awafer thin plot and stale protagonists would compensate withbreathtaking, sexy and exhilarating dance sequences…right? WRONG. Whenthe dance sequences should be sizzling, they end up fizzling…when theyare about to pack a punch, they give the audience a floppy and limpwrist. They are competently filmed, and edited with a sense of rhythm,yet memorable moments = ZILL. The film attempts to explore the somewhatrisqué style of burlesque dance…but wants to keep a PG rating…soeverything about 'Ruby's' feels completely toned down.For a dance movie, there is very little dancing. Unfortunately thismeans the audience sits through excessive amounts of predictable dialogbefore anything remotely exciting happens. At times it almost reaches"it's so lame it's good!" status…but never quite gets there. 'Make ItHappen' really doesn't make anything happen at all…save your money andwatch highlights of So You Think You Can Dance on You Tube.

(2013-01-30 22:38:25)

good movie

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) great dance movie that is not available in common movie shops.Price is fair, story is light and nice. lol

(2013-01-26 13:45:20)

Lighthearted entertainment!

I just saw this movie on Lifetime Movie Network. If you like made for television, chick flicks (or dance movies) then you'll enjoy this. It has some well choreographed burlesque dance routines that are really fun. I also like that the dancers are modestly dressed (compared with other films) and still manage to be sexy. A great movie for girls night. Just know, the story is predictable and formulaic. But who cares? It's fun!

(2013-01-26 01:56:16)

Save The Last Dance and Coyote Ugly met and had a baby.

I got a chance to watch this flick and enjoyed it greatly. It's best described as being in the vein of Save the Last Dance and Coyote Ugly mixed together, in that it has elements of both in it. This is actually quite interesting as I enjoyed both those, and it felt quite welcome here.The acting is just right in my opinion, though I'm pretty sure it won't win any oscars or even get nominated. It's definitely a fun movie though so if you liked Save the Last Dance, and Coyote Ugly, you may just like this movie.

(2013-01-24 04:04:34)

Make It happen....

This review is from: Make It Happen (DVD) For an non A lister movie... This was an okay movie... I enjoy watching all sorts of dance types movies...

Ally M.

(2013-01-24 00:06:05)

"Coyote Ugly" mixed with "Save the Last Dance"

As another comment here pointed it out, this movie has lots in commonwith "Coyote Ugly". But it also reminded me of "Save the Last Dance",as the main character played there also auditioned for a famous danceschool performing a dance routine that mixed classic ballet moves withmodern hip hop ones. Also in both movies the main characters have losttheir mothers (both of whom, if I remember this correctly 'cause it'sbeen a while since I saw "Save the Last Dance", are dead). I actuallylooked rapidly at a couple of comments before deciding whether to watch"Make It Happen" or not after seeing the trailer, so I knew what toexpect and I wasn't disappointed - that is because they updated themusic, changed a little the location and the style, but all in allre-proposed two stories that had already been successful in the past(so we could consider it some sort of remake). From this point of viewit wasn't that bad:P

njmollo

(2013-01-20 21:42:25)

Why is it not possible to show two consecutive dance moves in one shot?

This film is trash. Pure and simple. Zombie Strippers has better dancesequences and for that matter much better editing as well.Mary Elizabeth Winstead does not convince and her rhythm and grace aretruly suspect. I think that might be one of the reasons she pulls ahoodie over her face so the double can step in.There is nothing better than seeing beautifully performed dance oncamera. Bob Fosse and Michael Jackson come to mind. They at least hadthe confidence to show dance moves in entirety without the use ofearthquake-cam and rapid cutting.There is no substitute for talent and there is none on show here.

Neil Welch

(2013-01-20 09:57:29)

Festooned with clichés

OMG, I have so totally, like, just seen this chickflick, and I'm so"What are all these teenage girls doing at this movie?" To be fair,nobody actually talks like this in the movie, but I just feel that itprobably represents the target demographic. I'm pretty certain that, asan old git, I'm not in the target demographic. Hang on to your hats,I'm going to spoiler this one bigtime.First of all, this movie has the Most Forgettable Title Of All Time. Ikept trying to remember it on the way home, and I got Bring It On,Never Give Up, and several like that. All wrong. It's Make It Happen.Make It Happen. Got that? Good. Don't forget.What? You forgot already? Yeah, me too.So Lauryn heads out the 600 miles from Hickville to Chicago to auditionfor dance school. Now they're auditioning 2,000 kids for 20 places, soit's no surprise to us when Lauryn lasts 30 seconds before being bootedoff the stage. She withdraws to a coffee shop to nurse herdisappointment, only for her car to be towed away in the middle of athunderstorm. She is lucky, therefore, to encounter Dana, the youngwaitress, and also the Kindest And Most Trusting Person In The HistoryOf Movies. Dana offers Lauryn, a complete stranger, not only indefiniteboard and lodgings back at her apartment, but also an introductionwhich leads to Lauryn getting a job as bookkeeper - she was abookkeeper back home (I confess to feeling a rosy glow at this point,what with being firmly rooted in the beancounting business myself). Itturns out that this job is at Ruby's (owned, confusingly, not by Rubybut by Brenda) where, we discover, Dana dances when she's not being awaitress. Having danced, Dana more or less disappears from the movie atthis point. And Lauryn is saved from having to tell her brother, Russ,back home that she failed the audition.The writers of this movie have clearly made more than one visit to theCliché Mine, and have emerged loaded down with swag on each visitbecause, as I am sure you are expecting, the next thing to happen isfor Brenda to be faced with no dancers, following which Lauryn stepsinto the breach and is a sensation.A word about the dancing at Ruby's. This is a club which featuresdancing, and Brenda explains that she's after a different sort ofdancing. She sure is. It is raunchy dancing which isn't raunchy. It'sclearly intended to be raunchy, but the movie is PG, which means anylittle kid can see it. So "raunchy" translates as "mildly suggestive."When the dancer rips off her skirt, there's another smaller skirt belowit, that kind of thing. But the crowd appear to love it, whistling andwhooping like nobody's business. Go figure.So Lauryn does a bit of dancing for Brenda, and a romance starts withthe bloke who does the music: he encourages Lauryn to go for thespecial extra one-off additional audition for a further 2 places atdance school which just became vacant. Further clichés heave intoview...But before contact is made with them, Lauryn's brother Russ arrives atRuby's, and leaves in some distress that Lauryn is dancing, fullyclothed, in a mildly suggestive manner. During the argument whichfollows, he tells her that the garage - their late father's - is justabout to go broke, and he blames her for their father's death. Strickenwith guilt, Lauryn returns to start bookkeeping like mad at the garage.But Russ realises that he shouldn't have emotionally blackmailed hissister into giving up her dream just to save the garage, and packs heroff to the audition. As she arrives, the musical boyfriend gives her anew track he's just finished (it turns out to be the unfinished oneshe'd encouraged him to finish earlier, no surprise there then). She'stoo late for the emergency extra auditions, but she throws a completelyout of character wobbly and dances anyway. I was very impressed withthis - dancing perfectly to a piece of music she hadn't heard before,said dance incorporating things like the piano and steps which are onstage (the locations of which she couldn't have anticipated).So it will come as no surprise to you to learn - guess what - that shepasses the audition. The garage goes down the tubes, but what the hey.This movie was drivel. Recycled drivel, at that. But I kind of enjoyedit anyway. Lauryn is a pretty, personable girl (Mary ElizabethWinstead, Bruce Willis' daughter in Die Hard 4) and quite attractivelydrawn as a character. She dances OK, too, although the dance sequencesdon't have the vitality and dynamism of those in, say, Fame, Footloose,Dirty Dancing etc.Don't expect to be surprised at any point, though. Especially afteryou've read this!