Musical Chairs (2012)

29% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(364 ratings)

Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando (Bonilla) a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia (Pipes), an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star… More Set against the exciting backdrop of competitive ballroom dancing, Musical Chairs is about Armando (Bonilla) a Bronx-bred Latino who aspires to be a dancer but whose only way in is as handyman at a Manhattan dance studio, and Mia (Pipes), an Upper East Side princess who is the studio's star performer. Though worlds apart, their shared passion for dance promises to bring them together until a tragic accident changes Mia's life forever, and she finds herself wheelchair-bound at a rehab facility, with her dreams of a dance career shattered. Fortunately, Armando has enough dreams for both of them and, when he hears about a wheelchair ballroom dance competition that will soon be held in NY, he sees a way to return something to Mia that she thinks is lost forever. -- (C) Paladin

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Susan Seidelman
Genres: Romance, Drama

In Theaters: Mar 23, 2012 Limited
Studio: Paladin Films

Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
Most of "Musical Chairs" settles for being simple, familiar and ineffective, though I suspect it'll warm a few hearts.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A feel-good romantic fantasy that is likely to inspire a hollow laugh among some people in wheelchairs.
Sara Stewart, New York Post
The little-known art of wheelchair ballroom dancing is a worthy subject, but this clumsy romantic comedy is like a partner who keeps stepping on - or rolling over - your toes.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
By the time the mirror ball finally spins, we have long since lost interest.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Seidelman's unflagging enthusiasm, which extends to her buoyant cast, winds up giving this superficial story a bit of unexpected depth.
Andrew Barker, Variety
[The film] has its heart in the right place, but with default-setting characters, loudly telegraphed emotional beats and lack of any real sizzle to enliven its maudlin moralizing, it all feels like a cursory run through a well-trodden routine.
Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate
Simpatico if shallow, struggling to be a life-affirming, feel-good fantasy.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Injured dancer learns new moves in inspiring, trite tale.
Ethan Alter, Television Without Pity
It's a square genre picture that's just unassuming enough to be moderately diverting.
David Noh, Film Journal International
Would-be 'triumph of the human spirit' saga set among wheelchair-bound dancers blows it through shallow concept and characterizations.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
An endearing romantic drama about a creative young Puerto Rican with a passion for dance.
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald
Charming and upbeat, and it's stuffed with great, vibrant, insanely catchy music.
Nathan Rabin, AV Club
In volleying between sitcom saucy and melodrama maudlin, all that's missing are a braying laugh track and feigned tears.
Keith Uhlich, Time Out New York
Seidelman's reverential treatment of her performers, and their acutely warmhearted efforts in return, makes you wish all involved had a slightly stronger showcase for their talents.
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine
The schmaltzy and benign tale of a ballroom dancer who accepts and transcends her unexpected disability through the power of art and love.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
A delightful romance between an upper-middle-class WASP and a working-class Latino.