Make It Happen (2008)

Could someone explain to me please, as to why I'm giving this movie a 4/10, actually... because I'm not quite sure I understand. I should be giving it around 3/10, but for some reason, that feels perhaps a bit too harsh, but man, for a movie with such a title, nothing, absolutely nothing happened in this movie.Mary Elizabeth Winstead is sexy... She is gorgeous. However, every time she danced, or at least, attempted to, this film just kept losing more and more credibility. Then there's that obvious Step Up plot you couldn't even begin to overlook, 3 montages, silly choreography and a climax about as intense as watching paint dry, grass grow and laundry spin... All at one go.This movie felt like a waste of everybody's time. Even the soundtrack was abysmal... But, it's not surprising; Step Up itself is not exactly a masterpiece, and Channing Tatum is just as awful, but at least, Step Up had a little bit of heart.It really should be a 3/10... It honestly should, but, that does feel a bit too rough. 3.9/10.

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

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

To be honest, the only reason that I went to watch this movie at the cinema was because I attend a club which involves dancing. Quite a few of the routines that we do are based on songs or dance sequences from movies such as Step Up. Upon seeing the trailers for Make It Happen, I thought that I should go to see it, just in case we try a routine which is related to the film. Still, I am likely to commend myself if I can remember most of this lacklustre movie in a couple of weeks.Lauryn (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has dreamt of being a dancer for most of her life. However, after auditioning for the prestigious Chicago School of Music and Dance and being rejected, her hopes are severely damaged. Soon after this failure, she becomes a dancer at a burlesque club called Ruby's, and is a major success. However, Lauryn's family and her dreams soon begin to clash, and she must choose between the two...Make It Happen contains two positive elements. The dance sequences are extremely sexy and are also packed with confident energy. In the lead role, Mary Elizabeth Winstead is instantly likable and human. She isn't terrific, but she is still good enough that she puts the rest of the cast (who seem to be waiting for their pay cheques) to shame.Unfortunately, apart from the dancing and Winstead's performance, the movie falls flat. The plot is utterly predictable, the writing and direction are incredibly lazy and the pacing drags. This just feels like an attempt to cash in on the big public response to movies such as the High School Musical and Step Up instalments.So, my recommendation is to give this film a miss. I'm not really a fan of this type of movie, but I don't think that even hardcore fans will be satisfied by this superficial product. If you're looking for a good, enjoyable and pure musical experience at the cinema, it's still not too late to catch Mamma Mia!