Woeful ‘She Dances’ fails to trip the lights fantastic
It’s nice to see Steve Zahn branching out into screenwriting, but his first foray into it, the nepotistic “She Dances,” reveals him to be a scenarist with two left feet. He, along with director, co-scripter and fellow character actor Rick Gomez, consistently steps on too many toes in fleshing out a cliched tale of an estranged father and daughter attempting to play nice during a weekend dance competition.
Zahn plays the workaholic dad, Jason, and, in not much of a stretch, his 23-year-old offspring, Audrey, plays his snarky teenage daughter, Claire, a contestant in the Young Miss Southeast Regional Dance Finals in the Zahns’ adopted home of Kentucky. Why the pair, along with Claire’s BFF, Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler from “Dance Moms”), drove all the way from Wisconsin is never explained, but I assume there is no Great Lakes regional. But that’s the least of the multitude of problems plaguing this ill-conceived dramedy.
Nothing about it feels genuine, oddly enough, including the frayed relationship between Jason and Claire, who apparently rarely connect since Dad and Mom (a wasted Rosemarie DeWitt) divorced following the unexplained death of their son, Jack. There’s zero chemistry between the real-life father and daughter, as their characters lazily mosey down the path of reconciliation.
Half the time, the younger Zahn can’t be bothered to speak her lines above a whisper, adding to the film’s consistently chilly vibe. Yet, you can’t blame her lack of enthusiasm when her dialogue deals almost exclusively in reminding us how out of touch Jason is with the times, from their broadly differing tastes in music to their inability to address a shared grief over Jack’s death. It gets monotonous fast, as do the many contrivances meant to underscore the distance between father and daughter.
Most glaring is the manufactured setup in which Audrey’s granny falls off a ladder on the eve of Audrey’s drive to Kentucky. With Nana out of commission and Mom rushing to her aid, the onus falls upon Jason to fill the mandatory role of Audrey and Kat’s chaperone. It’s particularly inconvenient for Jason, who is in the midst of negotiating the sale of the bourbon distillery he runs with his best friend, Brian (Zahn’s long-time pal, Ethan Hawke), named the Two Jacks, after their sons, both coincidentally dead. What are the odds?
A large chunk of the plot rests in the older Zahn being a clumsy fish out of water in the ultrafeminine world of kid dance recitals. Of course, as writer, Zahn makes sure to feed his ego by creating a gaggle of horny single dance moms eager to jump his diminutive bones. When the ladies do the same when Hawke’s Brian improbably shows up on the scene, I believe their uncontained lust. But Zahn? Nah, it’s not happening.
Neither is the alleged tight relationship between Audrey and her dance partner, Kat. Sure, they act goofy together and share a shoulder whenever one is needed to lend, but it’s all surface, likely because the writers are two middle-aged men with no idea of how 21st-century teenagers think and do. At least the dancing, what little we see of it, is strong. Most of it was choreographed by the younger Zahn, who is a much better hoofer than actor. Ditto for Zeigler.
The cast, including Sonequa Martin-Green as Audrey and Kat’s teacher and mentor, Jamie, is somewhat engaging. But the dialogue is the stuff of cringe. Like the decision to demand that Audrey and Kat refer to their chief rival, Haley Fish’s Maria, as Dolph, as in Dolph Lundgren from “Rocky IV,” a movie I doubt is at the top of the viewing list for teenage girls, particularly those born four decades after the film’s release.
Yet another example of an unconvincing story about teen girls in 2026, penned by Gen Xers in their late 50s. Real-life dance moms and gals may get a leg kick out of it, but all others might want to sit this one out.
Movie review
She Dances
Rated: Not rated
Cast: Steve Zahn, Audrey Zahn, Mackenzie Ziegler, Ethan Hawke, Sonequa Martin-Green and Rosemarie DeWitt
Director: Rick Gomez
Writers: Rick Gomez and Steve Zahn
Runtime: 95 minutes
Where: In theaters March 27 (limited)
Grade: C-
