Musical Chairs
When, Mia, a dance teacher, lands in the hospital after an accident, Armando, a would-be dancer who admires her from afar, persuades her to train for an upcoming wheelchair ballroom dancing contest.
Director:
Susan Seidelman
Cast:
Leah Pipes, E.J. Bonilla, Priscilla Lopez
Screenplay:
Marty Madden
Screening Date:
Mar 10, 2012
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21.1% | 42.1% | 23.7% | 2.6% | 10.5% |
“A pitch perfect film. I loved it. It had good true intentions and tells its story magnificently. Not a beat off! This was great. Thanks! ‘
“Finally, a really positive portrayal of a Puerto Rican in East Harlem. Love can conquer all. Great music. Good to see wheelchair dancing done well.”
“I did enjoy it, however, with mixed feelings. Was it a semi tear- jerker or was it stereotypical? The acting was good. The story was very current. Mia is gorgeous. I couldn’t stop looking at her!”
“As the mother of a paraplegic, its heartwarming to see a film that celebrates folks in wheelchairs. That said, it was a sappy, unrealistic and misleading. Life for these folks is very complex and that was glossed over. Loved Armando.”
“Good film and subject, excellent acting, but towards the end it wasn’t hanging together. It looked like some very key scenes had been cut to shorten it. The ending was unsatisfying and the transitions too sudden.”
“Totally manipulative, but who cares.”
"Great music!"
“The film vacillates from being very touching to very corny. Miss Pipes was wonderful. Water ballet music and final waltz music are exquisite.”
“One of the best scenes in the film is Mia’s apartment when she realizes how debilitating life will be for her. Nice dream sequence. Great scarf!”
“More films like this please.”
“Very hopeful for war vets and other accident victims.”
“Great to see stories about New Yorkers and it’s various cultures and sub-cultures.”
“Touching film! Warmly done.”
“Predictable, but pleasant.”
“Wonderful film, that could have been really sappy. Had they won the contest I think I would have run screaming from the theater.”
“Ground breaking subject: wheelchair dancing. Rest of the storyline was weak. Hispanic portrayal a bit over the top.”
“By the numbers Hollywood treatment with cartoon characters.”
“They say no one goes to see movies about people with infirmities. Well they should see this one. A nice mix of realism, modernism, hokum and romance (the swimming pool scene was very romantic).
“Great cast, but the movie did not live up to their potential.”
“Lets hear it for using very ethnic stereotypes. Love it.”
“Just this side of Lifetime Movie of the week, but Seidelman keeps the sentimentality to a minimum. As in the discussion I agree that Priscilla Lopez does a turnabout that would make one of the wheelchair dancers dizzy.”
“Touching, tender and tough.”
