REVIEW: Sofia Carson Finds her Beat in Netflix’s “Feel the Beat”

Sometimes life knocks us so far off our path, it takes more time than we would like to find the beat and rhythm to life again. That is most definitely the case in Netflix’s new movie, Feel the Beat. Sofia Carson leads the story as April, an aspiring Broadway star who finds herself back home in Wisconsin after losing out on the biggest audition of her life. Down on her luck, April attempts to hide from her problems and rejection which she discovers is quite hard to do in her small town where she was once the biggest deal.

April then returns to the dance studio where her dream of becoming a Broadway star first began to help a young group of dancers win Nationals. However, April’s motivation isn’t entirely selfless, this trip to Nationals could be exactly what April needs to win her way back to Broadway.

Feel the Beat on the surface may seem like just another dance, romance movie; it’s not. Realizing one’s faults, how to handle them and still persevere, and remembering what made you dream in the first place are the main themes. April’s journey and her realization she might be able to have it all if she can stop being so selfish commandeer the film. There is romance and dance sequences, yet they take a back seat. The overall plot is predictable but it was nice to see a journey of self-discovery remain the key rather than love.

Carson’s take on April was a surprising one. I was completely expecting her to play this nice character especially when she returned to her hometown, but she ends up playing a brat and I loved it. Unlike her days in the Descendants movies, Carson is anything but pleasant in the first half of the movie and she knocks it out of the park. Hopefully, we will begin to see Carson in more lead roles, whether they be as the good girl or the bad girl, because she was a delight to see lead this movie.

Wolfgang Novogratz plays Carson’s love interest, Nick, the hometown ex-boyfriend. Despite few scenes together, they play well off one another. Plus, they make one good looking couple when they are together. Newcomer, Eva Hauge, plays one of the dancers, Sarah and has quite the future in front of her. She and Carson have a couple of emotional scenes together that propel April’s story along and the two nailed them each time. I am intrigued to see where Hauge goes from here.

Feel the Beat is a good movie to watch with the family, friends, or even just to put on when you have nothing else to do. It is certainly not mind-blowing or revolutionary, yet it is a movie that will keep you entertained from start to finish. And, the music is pretty fun, so it might even get you up and dancing at the end.

Grade: B+

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