In short, this is a watchable dance movie and Winstead's performance just about compensates for the generally poor direction.
Comment
08/07/08
Make It Happen (2008)
24
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:17
Fresh:4
Rotten:13
Average Rating:4.2/10
Consensus: Cheap, predictable, formulaic and unimaginative generic dance film. Comes across as Showgirls for simpleton teens, but with much less flesh on show.
Rated: PG
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:08-08-2008
Reviews for Make It Happen
1 - 17 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
The story may be predictable but Winstead infuses every moment with an amazing amount of charm.
08/07/08
The film should have been called Rehash Dance, because it is Flashdance without any new ideas.
08/08/08
Then you wait for the moment one of the regular girls gets injured, the hostess has to find a replacement and... the rest you know.
08/08/08
There's dancing, there's emotion, there's an earnestly cheesy inspirational storyline, there's nothing you won't have seen before.
08/08/08
Top CriticSo predictable that you know exactly what’s going to happen at any given minute.
08/08/08
It’s all just filler between the dance scenes, which are admittedly fun. Think Pussycat Dolls with slightly more clothes on. Unrepentantly formulaic, but enjoyable all the same.
08/08/08
This awesomely unambitious film has all the depth of a Pepsi ad.
08/08/08
It could be a contemporary take on classic backstage musicals. Or it could be the end of the cinematic arts as we know them.
08/08/08
Top CriticThe directing’s lazy, the love interest is a smarmy douche and the dialogue is flatter than Winstead’s toned tummy.
08/08/08
Top CriticIts just as cheesy and just as icky, but calamitously fails to offer any high-octane dance to ease the pain.
08/08/08
Top CriticDespite boundless energy and some surprisingly artful photography, ‘Make it Happen’ is never more than product. Cheap, abysmally scripted and utterly soulless.
08/08/08
Top CriticWe know the trajectory, it's a question of how brightly the rocket burns and how interested we are in the astronauts aboard this dance missile from small town Indiana to Chicago Big Time Dance School
12/20/08
Mary Elizabeth Winstead [has] star quality.
09/05/08
...yet another tedious inspirational tale revolving around a would-be dancer's efforts at transcending her wrong-side-of-the-tracks upbringing to become a professional hoofer.
01/20/09
It's hard to dislike all these urban musicals aimed at teenage girls, and even harder to tell them apart.
09/05/08
This film's limp retelling of the against-all-odds cliche just doesn't bump, grind or sweat enough to make it happen.
09/05/08
1 - 17 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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|---|---|---|
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