"When you've got one shot at the top you've got to move"The Adventurous Eight - a group of (how many? Err, eight!) teenagers from a small town in Ohio who crave stardom so badly that they spend their spare time rehearsing their home made songs and dance routines in a locked up old building after knocking off from school each day. But in the smallest towns lie the biggest of dreams, and these eight kids have all the determination and drive they need to take them all the way to the top. But getting there is the hard part.
A reluctant promise of an audition from a bigshot dance exec leads the kids to the Big - and mean - Apple, but on arrival at the company headquarters they are greeted by some unexpected and unfortunate news. The very guy who had promised them an audition had not only left the dance business, but died! Having travelled all the way to New York City, the Adventurous Eight refuse to be rejected, and the two (and only) male members of the group - Matt and Michael - take the situation into their own hands and try a bit of pleading. Begging the new company owner to give them a shot, he eventually gives in, telling them to audition in two weeks time. Bad news! None of the teens had banked on staying for that long, neither did they have enough cash in their pockets to. But giving in so easily isn't an option..
The kids come to the decision that the only way of making it is to stay and show the world what they're made of. So they rent a rather squalid apartment, spruce it up, and assemble a plan to raise enough money to live on until the day of the big audition. Step one: crashing a swank restaurant to showcase their moves. Miraculously, their routine leads to a standing ovation from the wealthy diners, who proceed to throw their money at the talented gang.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Adventurous Eight continue to raise money by any means possible: passing out business cards; dancing in front of crowds on the streets; you name it. But all work and no play isn't a phrase in the teenagers' dictionary and with the chance to hit the clubs and check out a famous dance hotspot, they can't resist. What they don't realize is that word has gotten out of their talents and a local badass dance crew ain't too happy about their presence. Time for a dance battle, baby! Only, this is one battle the small town country kids are destined to lose.
On a downer after being upstaged by the fresh dancers at 'The Zoo', and well aware that their audition day will soon be arriving, the Adventurous Eight vow to step up their act. And what that calls for is practice, practice, practice. Will they be able to get their own back and not die from embarrassment this time around?
Impressing the club-goers isn't their number one priority, and next in line is their shot at the big time with Sabel Industries. Turning up for their anxiously awaited audition, the kids face another huge knock-back when they are rejected once again, and in spite of the verbal contract between them and the company owner, it turns out to be yet another false promise. Furious that they have been deceived, a persistent Matt and Michael conspire one final plot which is to be their last lifeline on the road to fame. Will they make it to the huge Sabel talent contest? And will all their blood, sweat and tears pay off in the end?
A reluctant promise of an audition from a bigshot dance exec leads the kids to the Big - and mean - Apple, but on arrival at the company headquarters they are greeted by some unexpected and unfortunate news. The very guy who had promised them an audition had not only left the dance business, but died! Having travelled all the way to New York City, the Adventurous Eight refuse to be rejected, and the two (and only) male members of the group - Matt and Michael - take the situation into their own hands and try a bit of pleading. Begging the new company owner to give them a shot, he eventually gives in, telling them to audition in two weeks time. Bad news! None of the teens had banked on staying for that long, neither did they have enough cash in their pockets to. But giving in so easily isn't an option..
The kids come to the decision that the only way of making it is to stay and show the world what they're made of. So they rent a rather squalid apartment, spruce it up, and assemble a plan to raise enough money to live on until the day of the big audition. Step one: crashing a swank restaurant to showcase their moves. Miraculously, their routine leads to a standing ovation from the wealthy diners, who proceed to throw their money at the talented gang.
Over the next couple of weeks, the Adventurous Eight continue to raise money by any means possible: passing out business cards; dancing in front of crowds on the streets; you name it. But all work and no play isn't a phrase in the teenagers' dictionary and with the chance to hit the clubs and check out a famous dance hotspot, they can't resist. What they don't realize is that word has gotten out of their talents and a local badass dance crew ain't too happy about their presence. Time for a dance battle, baby! Only, this is one battle the small town country kids are destined to lose.
On a downer after being upstaged by the fresh dancers at 'The Zoo', and well aware that their audition day will soon be arriving, the Adventurous Eight vow to step up their act. And what that calls for is practice, practice, practice. Will they be able to get their own back and not die from embarrassment this time around?
Impressing the club-goers isn't their number one priority, and next in line is their shot at the big time with Sabel Industries. Turning up for their anxiously awaited audition, the kids face another huge knock-back when they are rejected once again, and in spite of the verbal contract between them and the company owner, it turns out to be yet another false promise. Furious that they have been deceived, a persistent Matt and Michael conspire one final plot which is to be their last lifeline on the road to fame. Will they make it to the huge Sabel talent contest? And will all their blood, sweat and tears pay off in the end?
VERDICT: ★★★ ½
Woah! What's this movie called again? Loose Footed Teenagers in Spandex Just Want to Have Fun While Pursuing Fame and Dancing Flashly But Not So Dirtily 2: Electric Boogaloo? Oh no. I got a little confused there.
We all know that the wondrous '80s pumped out a multitude of dance movies. I mean, there are just so many of the damn things that they are in a universe of their own. Fast Forward is one that is very rarely mentioned, even among geeks of the genre. Although it is nothing you haven't seen before, it's a shamelessly enjoyable romp about wearing leg warmers and making your dreams come true. It has the obligatory dance battle, the fixing up of a run-down building, the whole "we can make it no matter what" attitude. You just can't match flicks like these (not these days, anyway). Inevitably, you've gotta cringe through some corny bits of acting, but on a whole that side of things is a lot more bearable than you'd expect.
A harmless bit of fun, complete with a generous amount of staple '80s fashions and fads, a plot that can never be taken too seriously, and a guy dressed as Boy George.
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SOUNDTRACK:
Only one complaint to make about the soundtrack. In fact, the soundtrack isn't at fault here - the movie only features a few seconds of Siedah Garrett's Do You Want It Right Now. Hands down, the best track in the entire movie. Breakin' Out isn't too far behind in terms of awesomeness, though.
1. Breakin' Out - Deco
2. Do You Want It Right Now - Siedah Garrett
3. Long as We Believe - Siedah Garrett & David Swanson
4. Curves - Deco
5. Taste - Deco
6. Showdown - Pulse
7. Survive - Deco
8. Fast Forward - Deco
2. Do You Want It Right Now - Siedah Garrett
3. Long as We Believe - Siedah Garrett & David Swanson
4. Curves - Deco
5. Taste - Deco
6. Showdown - Pulse
7. Survive - Deco
8. Fast Forward - Deco
"Dance Until You Drop!"
