Critic Reviews
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Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine
Unlike its grittily romantic predecessors, Flashdance is pure glitz.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
Flashdance might be considered one of the first signs of Hollywood's Apocalypse.
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Variety Staff, Variety
Virtually plotless, exceedingly thin on characterization and sociologically laughable, pic at least lives up to its title by offering an anthology of extraordinarily flashy dance numbers.
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Depressing to think that this was a huge hit on the back of the Irene Cara hit single, since there's absolutely nothing to it.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Jennifer Beals shouldn't feel bad. She is a natural talent, she is fresh and engaging here, and only needs to find an agent with a natural talent for turning down scripts.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
The story doesn't help Miss Beals either, because she's at her least convincing when having to register any emotion other than rapture.
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, Total Film
It's the electrifying body-doubled dance numbers that really stick.
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David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Punchy, cleverly stylized, but utterly empty.
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Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Cinderella tale with sex, Spandex, and '80s pop.
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Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
Crudely-made in just about every possible way, Flashdance has only nostalgia going for it.
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Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
a beautiful piece of retro culture
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, Film4
As far as date movies go, this is effective enough, especially the scene where Beals demonstrates how to change her top without taking off her sweater.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Nothing but glossy fluff.
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Jeff Giles, Bullz-Eye.com
There's something real in here, and it could have made it to the screen, but the people involved were too shortsighted to see it through.
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Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A simplistic fairy tale, directed by Lyne in a trashy, superficially glitzy style, with pretense to realism in its on-location shooting and a woman who works as a welder, and the kind of postmodernism that's mostly evident in the heroine's name, Alex.
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Don Willmott, Filmcritic.com
"What a feeling" indeed.
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Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Step-setter of its time.
Read all 17 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Really is light on plot, but couldn't hate it. Cute 80's movie. Most of the dancing is cheesy, but some is interesting. Ending is cute. Extra star for the dog!
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Take your passion... And make it happen!
Good movie! Flashdance is one of those must see movies if you wanna see the important films of the 80's. I just wanted to see what this movie was about since it's such a huge part of film culture. Jennifer Beals actually did a great… More
Take your passion... And make it happen!
Good movie! Flashdance is one of those must see movies if you wanna see the important films of the 80's. I just wanted to see what this movie was about since it's such a huge part of film culture. Jennifer Beals actually did a great job as Alex, she was absolutely beautiful and made the character very likable. While this film did not live up to my expectations, it still was a good film. It has an awesome sound track and really is a lot of fun to dance too. If you love the 80's movies and music you gotta see this one!
Alex Owens is a female dynamo: steel worker by day, exotic dancer by night. Her dream is to get into a real dance company, though, and with encouragement from her boss/boyfriend, she may get her chance. The city of Pittsburgh co-stars. What a feeling!
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Such a well known 80's film and yet this is my first viewing! Of course the iconic soundtrack is instantly recognisable, as are some of the dance moves and there is some kind of back story with edging it's way through, but true enough it is corny and tacky like many… More
Such a well known 80's film and yet this is my first viewing! Of course the iconic soundtrack is instantly recognisable, as are some of the dance moves and there is some kind of back story with edging it's way through, but true enough it is corny and tacky like many 80's films, yet something drives me to watch them.
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Another classic 80's movie! A must see!
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Maybe I just hate dance movies, but I found this movie really boring, and the end especially disappointing. People who like dance movies may like it, but if you're only watching it for the romance, it's not that great.
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The female Top Gun, you either get it or you don't. Trying to judge this movie as a serious dramatic piece is just stupid, this was made to be fun and show a heartwarming tale. Jennifer Beals is perfection, that is all. The most adorable and determined 80s girl, she reaches for… More
The female Top Gun, you either get it or you don't. Trying to judge this movie as a serious dramatic piece is just stupid, this was made to be fun and show a heartwarming tale. Jennifer Beals is perfection, that is all. The most adorable and determined 80s girl, she reaches for the stars. The dance scenes are unmatched, just wonderfully shot and original. This is not a chick flick at all, not even close. Anyone can appreciate how awesome this movie is, it's just that good.
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A great dance movie. Great music and just an incredible story. :) I absolutely love it!!! :)
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Flashdance is just your average typical 'slutty-welder-wants-to-become-a-ballet-dancer' movie really. It made me nostalgic watching this last night, the 80's were quite fun really. It is very dated now but In it defence, you can't call it cliched because it… More
Flashdance is just your average typical 'slutty-welder-wants-to-become-a-ballet-dancer' movie really. It made me nostalgic watching this last night, the 80's were quite fun really. It is very dated now but In it defence, you can't call it cliched because it actually got there first with many of the scenes. Classic fromage from back in the day, enjoy it for what it is, if not for all the ladies bottoms ;o)
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One of the classic 80's dance 'trilogy' but probably the worst of the three, the other two being Dirty Dancing and Footloose. Like the others this has a great soundtrack (with top main song) and some nice dancing sequences but unlike the other two it has dated badly and… More
One of the classic 80's dance 'trilogy' but probably the worst of the three, the other two being Dirty Dancing and Footloose. Like the others this has a great soundtrack (with top main song) and some nice dancing sequences but unlike the other two it has dated badly and looks abit tacky nowadays.
Beals is cute as punch all the way through, you just wanna hug her haha less said about the very obvious wigged dance double the better, whilst the rest of the cast are so so. The plot is really silly but obviously aimed at young girls and gives a nice message of dreams, spirit and to always try your best and don't give up :) happy stuff.
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I had remembered REALLY enjoying this as a teenager, so I thought I'd give it a re-watch (a la the DVR).
I would have to say that in hindsight, the music and the amazingly cheesy 80's dance numbers that the girls at MAWBRY'S perform at various point's throughout… More
I had remembered REALLY enjoying this as a teenager, so I thought I'd give it a re-watch (a la the DVR).
I would have to say that in hindsight, the music and the amazingly cheesy 80's dance numbers that the girls at MAWBRY'S perform at various point's throughout the film are deffinately the "high points".
Sure Jennifer Beals is adorable, but the scenes where her (be-wigged) "dance double" is dancing as her are just painfully obvious. Especially during the final "audition" routine.
And sure Michael Nouri is handsome and charming as the older love interest. They never actually say how old he is supposed to be, but the difference is considerable. Given the fact that he is her boss and that they go out of their way to mention that Alex (Beals) is just 18...the whole relationship just never feels quite right.
The writing is predictable and at times horribly trite. But I still find something likable about the film. I guess I'm a sucker for nostalgia?
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CLASSIC! 80s! bit boring @ some points...
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A "must-see" film in 1983. Unfortunately, it has not withstood the test of time.
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Contrived 80s pap featuring Jennifer Beals writhing around on the floor in a leotard. At a pinch I'd say I found the welding more entertaining.
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All highly incredible, but on the credit side is the charming performance of Jennifer Beals (though rumour has it that her highly acrobatic dancing was done by an un-named double) and the several flashy modern dance numbers.
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Finding out that Beals didn't do her own dancing was a downer.
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A piece of crap. The dances were great and the music too but that's the only good part of this film. Alex is portrayed in this movie as an innocent young girl who loves to dance and wants to be a ballerina but is not self-confident enough. Her worst sin that she has to confess to… More
A piece of crap. The dances were great and the music too but that's the only good part of this film. Alex is portrayed in this movie as an innocent young girl who loves to dance and wants to be a ballerina but is not self-confident enough. Her worst sin that she has to confess to the priest is a little white lie to her elderly friend Hannah and that she thinks about sex a lot. However, it is a contradiction because she works at a night club where she strips down to practically nothing as she dances erotically. Then, later in the movie, she rescues a friend who is dancing at a nude night club and is supposedly portrayed better than this girl because Alex is wearing at least a shred of clothing. (In my opinion, Alex is no better than the nude girl. What a hypocrite.) Later, she is talking to her male friend about "seeing music" in her head and she talks about this dreamily with an innocent smile on her face as she is taking off her bra underneath her shirt. She is supposed to be all innocent as she does this but anyone knows that she's a whore who is playing at being a cutesy naive girl in order to get in his pants. Then she ends up passionate making out with him, letting him touch her breast, and then finally sleeping with him. It grosses me out because he's this 30 or 40 something divorced man and she's this 18 year old kid. It's so nasty.
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Alex (Jennifer Beales) is a young woman with two jobs. A welder by day and an exotic dancer by night (at the most creative strip club ever conceived). She wants to get into ballet school and must overcome her fears in order to do so.
Yes, the story is a fairy tale cliche, the acting… More
Alex (Jennifer Beales) is a young woman with two jobs. A welder by day and an exotic dancer by night (at the most creative strip club ever conceived). She wants to get into ballet school and must overcome her fears in order to do so.
Yes, the story is a fairy tale cliche, the acting is not brilliant and the plot is super thin but I feel that there is a lot more to Flashdance than that. It is usually put into the same bracket as Showgirls, Barbe Wire and other BAD movies. I feel that this is not the case and it is largely underrated.
The dance sequences are amazing as is the soundtrack.The soundtrack is an impressive asset of Flashdance, and it won an Academy Award for best original song for "What a Feeling". I love the first scene in the club. The music is awesome, the dancing is sexy, the cinematography is inventive and the water is iconic.
The movie is a lot darker than it lets on. There is a lot of crude sexual imagery, such as when Beals removes her bra from underneath her infamous sweater while on a date with her boss, or the scene in which she dines at a table, and erotically sucks on pieces of lobster meat.
I find Flashdance a kind of female version of Rocky. From the title sequence, theme song, having one chance to make it big, the location (Pittsburgh) playing a part, montage, etc but dancing instead of boxing gloves. All Alex needed to do was cry out "AAADDDRRRIIIAAANNN" at the end of her audition and it would have been perfect. But as it stands I just love the audition scene anyway.
Flashdance is more than just a time capsule of the 80s. It is a musically-themed picture infused with eroticism, spandex, pop music and a message to follow your dreams that comes through loud and clear. For me this is the most important part of the story and the basis of the movie. Over-coming fear of rejection and pursuing your dreams and passions; "When you give up your dream, you die", Take your passion and make it happen."
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I was amazed by all the talented dancers. This is the story about a girl who works as a welder during the day and dances at club during the night. She's passionate about dancing and practices dancing all the time. Then she applies for a upscale dance school, even though she has… More
I was amazed by all the talented dancers. This is the story about a girl who works as a welder during the day and dances at club during the night. She's passionate about dancing and practices dancing all the time. Then she applies for a upscale dance school, even though she has no dancing education. I thought this movie was charming and just like a typical 80's movie. The music was wonderful and the dance scenes were awesome. If you like chick flicks and dance movies you should watch this movie.
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The movie that sold a million leotards, oversized sweatshirts, and strip-club shower installations.
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Want to know who to blame for the recent glut of "dancer with a dream" movies? Blame Bruckheimer.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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