TV Movie Review: MTV’s original movie Turn the Beat Around debuts February 26 at 10 p.m.
Photo by MTV
February 26, 2010 MTV is gonna Turn the Beat Around with the second of a triumvirant of original movies (the first being My Super Psycho Sweet 16 from October 2009 and the last MADE, still in development.)
Turn the Beat around stars Romina D’Ugo as Zoe, a struggling L.A. hip hop dancer trying to make it in the music video scene. Her mother tried to break into the disco dancing scene in the 70’s but never made it, which inspires Zoe to convince a club entrepreneur to invest in a disco club. Drama ensues as Zoe struggles with mixing her personal and professional relationships and clashes heads with a fiery choreographer played by Donna Summer’s daughter Brooklyn Sudano (who brings a spark to the film with her b!tchy body language
The drama and dialogue fall flat in MTV’s struggle to mix an undeveloped Melrose Place-style plotline with Flashdance, but the dancing is entertaining enough to keep you awake in between the slow bits and cringeworthy bits.
It’s a thrown together storyline to accommodate a pretty cool concept: bringing disco back. With better plot development, more fleshed out characters, and less stilted acting, this could have been a cult classic, but instead it’s a fun flick to watch on a Friday night when you’re a board teen. Some of the most entertaining moments are unintentionally funny lines, like “There’s only so many hotdogs at the barbeque,” a metaphor meant to illustrate the brevity of life by comparing it’s treasures to bottom barrel processed meats.
Up-and-coming R&B singer Jason Derula has a role as the pop star who’s holding a music video dancer audition. Cobra Starship and Sing It Loud light up the soundtrack with fresh remakes of classic disco songs. Tre Armstrong (“So You Think You Can Dance Canada”) serves as choreographer and Evan Bogart (Beyonce’s “Halo”) serves as a music producter.
If you miss the movie premiere on February 26, it’s coming to DVD March 9, 2010. February 16 you can download Turn the Beat Around soundtrack EP.
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