Hope Dances

Hope loves ballet and baseball, but must choose between the two when her life becomes too much to handle. This was the initial premise of the movie, but once she chose her path, the other fell by the wayside and wasn’t mentioned again. Had she been able to continue both without the pressure, it would have made for a much more interesting storyline. I hated almost every adult in this, from her parents (who were horribly demanding-what kind of father calls his daughter a quitter when she doesn’t chose the path that he wants?) to her baseball coach to her dance mentors. There was not one word of encouragement from any of the adults at all, and when Hope meets her idol, a prima ballerina, the woman is rude and conceited. The film was pretty predictable in the way it ended and more than once I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous way they got out certain situations such a traffic jam on the California highway en route to a huge performance. It must be nice to have such great connections. I liked that there was no swearing or nudity, and it’s a good movie for young girls who are interested in dancing, but the adults left a lot to be desired.