Work It (film)

Work It is a 2020 American jukebox dance comedy film directed by Laura Terruso and produced by Alicia Keys, Leslie Morgenstein and Elysa Koplovitz Dutton. The film stars Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy, Keiynan Lonsdale, Michelle Buteau and Jordan Fisher.[1] It was released on August 7, 2020, by Netflix.

Work It
Official promotional poster
Directed byLaura Terruso
Produced by
Written byAlison Peck
Starring
Music byGermaine Franco
CinematographyRogier Stoffers
Edited byAndrew Marcus
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • August 7, 2020 (2020-08-07) (United States)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Quinn Ackerman is a quirky and intelligent high school senior living in North Carolina with her single mother. She has one best friend, aspiring dancer Jasmine Hale, who has known her since kindergarten and always sticks up for her. Quinn's dream is to attend Duke University, as it is her late father's alma mater, and her mother wants it for her just as much as she does. She studies hard, earns straight As, and takes part in many extra-curricular activities, though she does not have much of a social life as a result.

After an interview with progressive admissions counselor, Veronica Ramirez, Quinn is informed that her application is too similar to the other applicants, and that her chances of standing out to the admission's team are not good. Quinn then lies and tells her that she is a member of her high school's elite dance team, "The Thunderbirds," which is very well known around the state as the reigning champions of the "Work It" dance competition. Quinn enlists Jasmine's help to prepare her for an audition being held by the team in two weeks, as she is already on the team. Quinn's dancing skills improve by the time of the audition, but the team's ruthless leader, Julliard Pembroke, still rejects her. After Jasmine stands up to him and defends Quinn, Quinn suggests that the two of them start their own dance team to compete at "Work It". Jasmine reluctantly agrees, but is worried about not being there to be scouted by a recruiter from a dance academy in New York.

Quinn discovers a former champion of the "Work It" competition, Jake Taylor, who stopped competing after a knee injury two years prior. Quinn approaches him at the dance studio where he now works, and asks him to be a choreographer for her team. He turns her down, mainly due to the fact that she approaches dancing as something that can be learned by thinking, and not with passion.

Meanwhile, the girls round up a group of unknown dancers at school who all differentiate in style. The team includes Raven, a goth and rocker style dancer, Chris, a soccer player with dance skills, DJ Tapes, a kid who sells mixtapes, Robby G., a karate student and excellent flipper, and Priya, an Indian style dancer.

After seeing her potential during an informal dance lesson with Quinn, Jake agrees to choreograph her team for "Work It", but only if they can win the upcoming qualifying competition. The team begins practicing on their own, using the studio where Jake works, and performing at the local nursing home where Quinn volunteers. At qualifiers, under the name "TBD", they make the cut, but on a technicality issue with an opposing team. Jake concludes that they need much improvement and have a lot of work to do if they want to win at "Work It".

Quinn and Jake spend more time together, and Quinn confesses that she's not sure that she truly wants to attend Duke anymore, but feels she has to because of the time and effort her mother put in to help her. Jake takes her aside and decides to experiment free style dancing with her. Quinn's talent surfaces, as well as their undeniable chemistry, and the two kiss passionately.

With a newfound confidence, Quinn takes it easier on herself and puts more effort into her dancing and the team. She emails the Duke Admissions Councilor and informs her that she has started her own team and that they will be competing at "Work It". However, when Julliard discovers that Jake is choreographing for the "TBDs", he turns them in for using the studio to practice without paying, and Jake loses his job. Quinn's grades drop as a result of her dedication to the team, and receives an email from the Duke admissions team, informing her that Veronica no longer works there. Quinn confesses everything to her mom, and they agree that she should quit the dance team, and bring her grades up before turning in her final transcript.

The team feels betrayed by Quinn's departure, especially Jasmine, who rejoins "The Thunderbirds". Jake attempts to stop Quinn, who calls him out on hypocrisy for lecturing her about quitting. She tells him she doesn't have time for a boyfriend and ends their romance.

Quinn, while working at the nursing home, has a conversation with an elderly woman named Ruthie, who encourages her to not waste her time studying all the time and live her life to the fullest. She points out different people in the home who had taken different paths in life and yet ended up in the same place, looking back fondly on their most fun and happy memories. While stamping books, Quinn starts listening to music and begins to "get out of her head" as Jake told her, and just dance. She re-discovers her own passion for dance and reconciles with Jake, and they both decide to bring the team back together. Quinn also reconciles with Jasmine and she quits "The Thunderbirds", rejoining "The TBDs".

The group begins to learn each other's unique style of dance, and Jake incorporates all of them into the choreography. On the day of the competition, Quinn arrives late after she is held up by her mom, who is angry with her for lying. Her mom tries to punish her if she leaves, but Quinn stands up to her mother and tells her that dancing is what makes her happy. She manages to grab the keys to the car and drives herself there, even though she only has a learners permit. She dances with the team and sees her mother, who has followed her, in the audience, clearly proud of her daughter. "The TBDs" win the competition and both Jasmine and Julliard are approached by a scout from the New York Dance Academy. Quinn also runs into Veronica, who is now working at NYU, and invites her to apply for the fall semester.

Cast

Production

On April 2, 2019, Adam Fogelson of STX announced the film along with Alicia Keys producing it.[2] On May 2, 2019, it was announced that Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy and Keiynan Lonsdale would star in the film.[3] Laura Terruso was announced as the director, and that Terruso would rewrite the film from an original script from Alison Peck, with Elysa Koplovitz Dutton Leslie Morgenstein from Alloy Entertainment producing the film alongside Keys.[4] On July 2, 2019, Drew Ray Tanner, Michelle Buteau and Jordan Fisher all joined the cast and it was announced that Netflix would distribute the film.[5] It was also announced that day that Carpenter would also serve as an executive producer.[1]

Filming took place from June 2019 to August 2019 at the University of Toronto (St. George Campus), Humber college Lakeshore Campus, Toronto, York University Keele campus in Toronto, Canada [6][7][8] and on the campus of California State University, Northridge in Los Angeles in December 2019.

Release

Work It was released by Netflix on August 7, 2020.[9] It was the top-watched film in its debut weekend, before falling to fifth place in its second weekend.[10][11]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 6.21/10.[12] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

References
  1. N'Duka, Amanda (July 2, 2019). "Jordan Fisher, Drew Ray Tanner, Michelle Buteau Join Sabrina Carpenter In Netflix Dance Comedy 'Work It'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  2. D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 2, 2019). "Alicia Keys Dance Movie 'Work It' & 'Bad Moms' Moms' In The Works At STX – CinemaCon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  3. "Sabrina Carpenter to Star in STX Dance Comedy 'Work It'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  4. D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 2, 2019). "Alicia Keys' Dance Comedy 'Work It' Sets Sabrina Carpenter As Lead". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  5. Clement, Olivia (July 2, 2019). "Jordan Fisher Tapped for New Dance Film Work It". Playbill. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  6. "'Work It': Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy star in Netflix dance comedy". UPI. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  7. "Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram: "that's a wrap on @workitmovie excuse me while i go miss all these incredible people, and sorry to the man on the plane next to me for my…"". Retrieved August 6, 2019 – via Instagram.
  8. "Work It (@workitmovie) • Instagram photos and videos". Retrieved July 3, 2019 – via Instagram.
  9. Martin, Annie (July 9, 2020). "'Work It': Sabrina Carpenter dances in teaser for Netflix film". UPI. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  10. Rowles, Dustin (August 9, 2020). "Weekend Box Office: Seth Rogen, Shia LaBeouf, And The Most-Watched Movies At Home". Uproxx. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  11. Brueggemann, Tom (August 17, 2020). "Canadian Box Office Reopens as 'Unhinged' and 'SpongeBob Movie' Take the Lead". IndieWire. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  12. "Work It (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  13. "Work It Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
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