'Dance Flick' review

It stinks, but the Wayans family has done a lot worse

By Matt Pais

Posted May 21, 2009

Metromix

Someone’s bound to get served when square white gal Megan (Shoshana Bush, a far cry from Anna Faris) becomes dance partners and more with geeky black dude Thomas (Damon Wayans Jr.), who’s in debt to a gangster (David Alan Grier in about three fatsuits) after his crew loses a dance battle.

The buzz: Built primarily on nods to 2001’s “Save the Last Dance,” 2006’s “Step Up” and 2004’s “You Got Served” (plus “High School Musical,” “Hairspray” and “Stomp the Yard”), this spoof makes last year’s jack-o-lantern look fresh. This is a massive Wayans production—written by Marlon, Shawn, Keenen Ivory, Craig and Damien, who also directed—so as long as the movie’s not as mind-meltingly horrific as something like “Little Man” the world will be a “better” place.

The verdict: Say this for “Dance Flick”: It actually has some jokes, as opposed to the excruciating, non-stop pop culture reference machines otherwise known as “Disaster Movie,” “Meet the Spartans,” and so forth. Are the jokes in “Dance Flick” funny? No, hardly ever, with memorable gags ranging from a reference to Brandy’s fatal traffic accident to a book called “Britney Spears’ Guide to Parenting.” Arguably more uncomfortable (and likely unintentional, based on when the movie was filmed): Megan and Thomas dancing to Chris Brown’s “Forever” at Club Violence, only minutes before Thomas punches Megan. Yikes.

Did you know? One of the biggest laughs comes from an undercover officer arresting a rapper after he inadvertently confesses to a murder mid-freestyle. Here’s hoping his testimony is delivered in the form of an ‘80s power ballad.