REVIEW: Sabrina Carpenter and Jordan Fisher Make It Work in Netflix’s “Work It”
Work It, starring Jordan Fisher and Sabrina Carpenter, is a pleasant addition to Netflix’s growing cadre of romantic, teen comedies. Carpenter takes the lead as Quinn, a driven high school senior whose sole focus is getting into Duke University. She know she’s done what she needs to do academically to make it to the southern University when she’s confronted with the cold, hard fact that almost every other senior applying to Duke has, too.
With her dream in jeopardy, she makes a bold claim in an effort separate herself from the rest of the applicants. Quinn, lover of all things academia with little to no athletic ability, lies and tells the admissions officer she is a member of her high school’s nationally ranked dance team, the Thunderbirds. She takes her lie one-step further by promising she’ll be performing, along with the dance team, in the renowned Work It Dance Competition.
Quinn has very little dance talent and, inevitably, does not make the Thunderbirds. Now she must put together a dance team with the help of her best friend, and talented dancer, Jas (Liza Koshy). Quinn may not be a strong dancer but she is tenacious and unwilling to let her dream die, so she enlists legendary dancer, Jake Taylor (Fisher) to choreograph their routine and help the new dance troupe make it to the competition.
Directed by Laura Terruso, Work It is an entertaining dance movie. The movie can be predictable and a little over the top at times, but the dancing, comprised of local dancers from Toronto where the film was shot, is great. The flick is definitely the typical coming of age tale, peppered with some romance, but watching Quinn’s growth from her single-minded frame of mind to stepping out of her comfort zone to learn something new about herself was an enjoyable way to spend an evening.
Work It also focuses on the fact that dance is a universal language; no matter who you are or where you are from, dancing can bring people together. Seeing more of an interaction between Quinn and her haphazard group of dance misfits would’ve been a nice touch. With such a quick pace set in the film, it’s understandable why the choice was made to not include much of a second storyline.
Carpenter and Fisher are the perfect leads for this movie. Carpenter does well to embody Quinn’s awkward dance moves and obsessive drive to see her dream come true. Fisher’s charisma practically jumps through the screen and his effortless dancing made for a fun time. The two are a winning pair, with great chemistry, so fans will be on their seats waiting for a kiss.
Koshy’s Jas is the perfect addition to this movie and probably the funniest character. Koshy’s comedic timing is perfect and you have to wonder how many of her lines were improv’d with how well she delivered them. Keiynan Lonsdale plays the mean boy in the movie and isn’t quite as enjoyable as the other three, but that is the point. You aren’t supposed to like the nemesis.
I wasn’t a huge fan of all the music used in the movie, but the movie will have you wanting to get up and dance by the time the credits are ending. If you are looking for something light-hearted to watch this weekend, this is the movie for you.
Grade: B