Steve Zahn has played a fool for so long, I forgot he had another gear. And, to tell the truth, he plays the fool for at least an hour of this thing, too, in case you were worried.
When he stopped playing the fool in this picture he-co-wrote, the drama improved dramatically … or it did for me, at least.
Claire (Audrey Zahn, hey, what a coincidence) is a dancer. She lives with her mother. Both have written off their estranged-father/ex-husband Jason (Steve Zahn), and for good reason. He doesn’t seem either trustworthy or interested. Movies -in general- tend to imply that failed parents only get one shot at redemption. That’s rot. I find, generally, that being a parent you have an infinite amount of shots to make things right, but you have to care. That’s really the key. If you don’t care about being a parent, you may as well have no shots at being a better one. Jason is a video-gaming bachelor and a recovering alcoholic. Ironic that he co-owns a company that brews bourbon, huh?
In the weekend ahead, Claire has a dance competition. A big one. Several states away. And she is without a chaperone. Jason is enlisted. He reluctant. He is even more reluctant when Claire insists on traveling with her dance partner, Kat (MacKenzie Ziegler). Claire doesn’t let Jason -her father– drive, even though it’s his car. There’s a history there that the film isn’t telling us, but we can guess it is alcohol-related. We can also guess that the estrangement between Jason and his people is alcohol related. The former’s alcoholism is almost certainly related to another un-stated piece, the death of Claire’s brother.
There is a lot going on here. On screen, there are just hotels, motels, cars, and stages. But behind the scenes are relentless pains, unforgivable sins, and dance rivals, not necessarily in that order. The film gives us a good look at Steve Zahn’s foolishness when he challenges a teen counter-jockey for flirting with Claire, and when he messes up the room reservations at the hotel.
Good one, dad.
To be fair – once upon a time, I stayed at a hotel where there was a dance competition the following day. I did not know this and … I did
not get any sleep. There was jumping and thumping on the ceiling and walls all.night.long. Jason and the teenage girls were better off in a crappy motel ten miles down the road.
As I pointed out, Steve Zahn spends the entire first 50% of this film playing a fool. It’s weak. It’s tiresome. And it makes the film about “idiot dad” rather than the dynamic between he and his real-life daughter. When She Dances finally allows Jason to be a normal dad, it is a much better film; it’s a day-and-night difference in my mind.
Is that enough? I think so. There are a number of things that could have ruined this film, like extensive amateur dance scenes or shoddy acting from a noob. I didn’t find either if these things to be true; I just wanted Steve Zahn, dad, to be normal … or, perhaps, just not to give dads a bad name. Mild recommendation. Mild.
There once was a dancer named Claire
Who competed in marvy affair
Her chaperone was dad
Which made them both sad
For the man had a commitment to err
Rated PG-13, 94 Minutes
Director: Rick Gomez
Writer: Rick Gomez, Steve Zahn
Genre: Movies dads make
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Dads
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: People tired of waiting for dad
