You'll want to get yourself mobbed by The Mob after watching this fast paced dynamic flick. It's creative brilliance at its best. Credit goes to director, Scott Speer whose vision to create a visually spectacular dance film with heart and soul was realised far beyond what I might have imagined. Set in Miami, it sizzles with Latino spice. The storyline is straight from the cookie cutter of poor boy, Sean Ryan Guzman meets rich girl, Emily Kathryn McCormick , they fall in love at first sight. Rich girl's father Peter Gallagher is a mega property developer who is about to tear <more> down the poor boy's Latino neighbourhood in the name of progress and beautification of what he refers to as a slum. Sound familiar? Yes, but the story is so well put together visually and creatively that the ride is smooth and very pleasing to the eye. Take the movie for what it is – pure entertainment – and leave the rest behind because no one is going to believe that a group of poor street dancers would have the funds or resources to put together such masterful dance routines, let alone conduct them in high security buildings during VIP events.The Mob is the name for the group of street dancers, lead by Guzman, who mob public areas in an attempt to get noticed and win $100K for getting 10 million hits on You Tube. They come up with spectacular dance routines that leave the public breathless, regardless of the intrusion. These guys take street dancing to a whole new level of professionalism with such a mix of dance styles and some parkour thrown in for extra spice. The sheer hard work, dedication and heart and soul that each dancer puts into their performance is what makes this movie a pleasure to watch. Youth honouring the art of dance and going for something by working hard at it.It's disappointing though, that teenagers are so often portrayed as rebellious law breakers. The Mob hack into security systems, turn up uninvited to VIP social events, turn a fancy restaurant into a burlesque show, and cause traffic chaos, all in order to get noticed but at the risk of getting arrested. A far cry from being positive role models. Was the lesson learnt when they did end up getting arrested? You'll have to watch to find out.The creative team behind the scenes are innovative, creative geniuses. Every dance routine was pure magic, with each one so unique and well thought out that I couldn't wait to see what they would come up with next. The opening scene of a Miami traffic jam gave jam a whole new meaning. If only people would get out of their cars and dance like that, instead of wanting to pound someone's head in, whenever they were stuck in traffic, the world would be a whole lot more colourful. The choreography was perfection and the passion of each dancer was apparent in their every move.Screenwriter, Amanda Brody did a good job of using twists here and there to make the script less predictable, and it was refreshing to have youth putting all their energy into something that eventually benefited the community, rather than just getting noticed for the sake of a chance for fame and fortune.Guzman and McCormick were obviously cast for their brilliant dance performances, rather than their acting ability. They are certainly beautiful to watch but as for chemistry between them, the flame was only simmering. Their performances as lovers lacked emotion – an actor's eyes are a dead give-away. They seemed more like friends than lovers. The love affair was more with their dancing than with each other. All up though, everyone in this film is a star. I admired and appreciated the hard work that went into making it, and it was obvious that everyone involved loved every minute of it. I rate my films with top marks if they are films that I want to see over and over. I saw the 3D version which was out of this world. There's nothing like having a hot Latino body jump out at you from the screen! Go see it and let your mundane world melt away for 99 minutes of high energy entertainment. <less> |