Redeeming qualities in ACL film?

Forced myself to watch it again today. Haven't seen it since I was a kid. Just wondering if anyone found anything about the film they liked.

Well?

One thing is for sure. After watching this film is solidified for me the fact that the 80's were so effin cheezy!!!

It is the oNLY chane to see Barrymore's.
I hate how they cut to Cassie and Zach during "I Can Do That"

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"2 the Val is actually believable in her acting and appearance"

Too bad it's a dance movie and you never see her dancing.

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I love the movie. I find it very entertaining, and although it's not the best verison of the story of A Chorus Line, it does justice to the musical. I think Michael Douglas' performance was amazing, and I was dissapointed by Michael Berresse's performance because I liked Michael Douglas so much.

What is it that people don't like about the movie?

What is it that people don't like about the movie?

That the score was shred to bits; that the dance scenes are clunky and shot with ineptitude (let's show a tap dance from the waist up); the arbitrary changes to virtually every character; the fact that the "second-tier" characters (Don, Connie, etc) have virtually no stories at all, etc.

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i hated the film, hated hated hated it!

Vicki Fredericks (who played Cassie on Broadway) had a fairly long career with several embarrassments (a ladies-wrestling movie whose name I forget with Peter Falk, a supporting role in Sharon Stone's psycho-slasher movie "Scissors", a guest spot on "Murder She Wrote"). I agree she is the definitive Sheila, and I loved the way "At the Ballet" was shot in the movie--until Maggie hits her high note and the camera tilts up at the ceiling, subjecting us to twenty seconds of absolute blackness. Couldn't they have shown us some dream-ballerina images? Also, I loved the strong, funny, admirable actress who played Bebe (a kind of nonentity role in the stage version)--what was her name? Ditto whoever played Diana Morales.

Otherwise--ugh. All the flashbacks and the Cassie "backstory" bring the film to a halt; Don's speech is unwatchably inarticulate; the "Surprise" sex number is a DISMAL substitute for "Hello Twelve, Hello Thirteen" (is there nothing more to adolescence than sex?) and the dance sequences remain stagebound (you can tell where they are hiding Audrey Landers' ineptitude). Giving "What I Did for Love" to Cassie was the last straw. It's supposed to be about the quest of all dancers, not one woman's unfortunate love life.

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I love laughing at the lyrics of Surprise! Thats always fun to do when I'm bored.....I'm not serious, but it does bring a smile to my face

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until Maggie hits her high note and the camera tilts up at the ceiling, subjecting us to twenty seconds of absolute blackness. Couldn't they have shown us some dream-ballerina images?

I thought the same thing!! I hate that part!

Two Words: Terrence Mann

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To fill in some gaps.....

The name of the wrestling movie with Peter Falk is All the Marbles. That movie pre-dates ACL by 4 years though.

Vicki was also in All That Jazz, Scissors, Chaplin (she took no rolling credit for this movie), Stewardess School, Body Rock (almost more embarrassing than Chopper Chicks, but entertaining for the fact that Vicki has really horrifying hair and gets to rap; though that in and of itself is marginally alarming), Chopper Chicks in Zombietown (yes, that's highly embarrassing and yes, she does get blown up under a bus) and Coast to Coast.

She also had a string of TV appearances...... her complete bio (accurate as it's per Vicki herself) can be found here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/bios/viewstar.cfm?starid=58

NBC, amen sister, re: Greg, David and Scott. I've definitely been missing talent like theirs lately.

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Terrence Mann in a dancebelt!