Flashdance is one of my Top Ten Films. I don't care that it has no twisting plot. I don't care that Jennifer Beals used a body double. I REALLY don't care that it's a chick flick. I love this movie!! Some people, after seeing Flashdance, choose to see a movie about exotic dancing. For one reason or another, I see a movie about chasing dreams, taking chances, and maximizing life.

Jennifer Beals' character Alex Owens's dream of attending a formal dance school and becoming a ballerina is the central theme of the film. Her friends Jeanie and Richie are aspiring figure skaters and stand-up comedians, respectively. However, Alex is the only dreamer receiving any encouragement. Her senior citizen friend Hannah, a former ballerina herself, gives Alex practical advice and unconditional faith. Jeanie's father openly criticizes Jeanie's dream as well as her beau, Richie. Richie, a cook at Mawby's Bar, is put down by his boss for wanting to go to Hollywood and being a comedian; "You're too short. They don't let short people into Hollywood."

The sub-plots facilitate Alex's dream to create a captivating story. To support herself (and possibly, to keep life interesting),Alex holds 2 jobs: a welder by day and a dancer at aforementioned Mawby's Bar during the night. Her welding boss Nick takes a liking to her and pursues her. Alex resists his charms but gives in eventually. Johnny C., the sleazy strip bar owner continually tries to lure Alex into dancing for him. As mentioned before, Alex's friends Jeanie and Richie have dreams of their own, and we see where their dreams take them.

The factor that made Flashdance a hit was the music, of course. "What a Feeling" took away an Oscar for Best Song. "I'll Be Here Where the Heart Is", sung by Kim Carnes ("Bette Davis Eyes") fits Alex's personal-crisis scene perfectly.

The first time I watched Flashdance was 4 years ago; I bought the video knowing I'd like it. After 20+ viewings, I still love it. Flashdance is for anyone who has a dream but not the courage to pursue it.

I know how much Flashdance became such a huge hit of the 80's, it defined a whole new generation of clothes, behavior, and dance moves. That's what made Flashdance so special. Now I was born in '85 so I kinda missed out on these things, but I understand it's importance. I just bought this movie yesterday, it was back to back with Footloose, two iconic 80's movies, and I watched Flashdance this afternoon. While this film defined a huge part of the 80's, it was an average film with a simple plot. The acting and story is just pretty average, but it's a cute and fun one.

Alex is a welder by day, but at night she is a sexy exotic dancer who grabs the attention of all the men. But she has big time dreams to become a ballet dancer, she has promised her grandmother that she would apply to the top ballet school and try to get an audition. But Alex is always intimidated by the other "proper looking" dancers with tons more experience than her. She falls in love with a fellow co-worker, Nick, who wants her to make it just as badly. She goes through rough times, but she just wants to make it and will do anything for that chance.

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. Now excuse me, but I wanna try to take my bra off without removing my shirt, lol.

5/10

Love musicals. Love dramas. Love a lot of films from the 80s, despite being aware of some of my friends who consider it one of the weaker decades for film. While there are certainly far worse musicals, there are also far better. 'Flashdance' is not without its moments but overall left me not completely feeling it.

Where 'Flashdance' is most successful is in the soundtrack and dancing. The soundtrack is toe-tappingly infectious and is infused with a lot of energy. This is particularly so with "What a Feeling", wonderfully sung by Irene Cara, which won a worthy Oscar and became an iconic hit of the 80s. "Maniac" is a close second. The dance sequences are clearly strenuous, while also being high-octane in energy and having surprising grace.

That is not to say that it doesn't have other good things elsewhere. Adrian Lynne directs very well, capturing perfectly the post-disco visual mood and general atmosphere of the time. 'Flashdance' looks good too, being cleverly shot and atmospherically lit and designed.

However, the acting is really not great. Jennifer Beals seemed too lightweight for a pretty lewd character, and when showing a more aggressive, harder side it comes over as annoying and like she was uncomfortable doing it. She does fare better than Michael Nouri, whose character is obnoxious, bland and clichéd, all of those accentuated in Nouri's acting. If the rest of the cast are not being mentioned, it is because their contributions were not memorable.

'Flashdance's' script is a complete mess. Cliché-ridden, cheesy and often tasteless. The story is vastly overshadowed by the film's style, music and dancing, it is barely existent and what there is pretty dull and preposterous, too often the opposite of feel-good or charming while the sordid-ness also feels over the top. Nice message, if not exactly new, but the very frothy and severely underdeveloped romance belongs somewhere else entirely.

Overall, has good points but am not completely feeling it. 5/10 Bethany Cox