Stepping Out (1991)
Mavis (Liza Minnelli) was a chorus line dancer on Broadway. Just as she was on the verge of getting more prominent roles, she fell in love. Her full-of-himself boyfriend moved them to Buffalo, far from the theater scene. As a musician, he plays with a band in the local clubs, often with the very talented Mavis singing at his elbow. But, they are just two bit players, mostly because of his total lack of ambition. On the side, Mavis runs a dance studio for ordinary folks. In her classes, among others, are a lovely nurse, a librarian, a lady with an overbearing husband, a lady with an unemployed son, a bossy middle aged housewife (Julie Walters) and a lone, divorced, very shy male. The studio pianist is a strong-willed senior (Shelley Winters). One day, a woman who operates a more prominent dance school in Buffalo invites Mavis and her class to perform a number in a charity dance recital.
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It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Liza Minnelli's Maevis has shuffled off to Buffalo from Broadway where she once stood right next to Bob Fosse. If that in-joke may be off-putting for people aware of Minnelli's real-life connection with her "Cabaret" director (who she worked with on more than one occasion), it is only because they can't separate the real Minnelli from the character she plays. Yes, Liza has the practically the same hair-do she had in "Arthur", and when you are as famous as she is, it is difficult to separate her from the legend. But take that away, and you have a "Let's put on a show!" comedy with songs that is as fresh and far from the style of films made the same year and very similar to the great musicals of the golden age of Hollywood.She is a dance teacher who specializes in training novices, and here, she has some of the greatest theater talents around. Jane Krakowski, Andrea Martin, Ellen Greene, Bill Irwin, Julie Walters, Carol Woods, Sheila McCarthy among them, not to mention the great Shelley Winters as the very cantankerous piano player. It is her ambition to get these clumsy tappers ready for a big show she's been asked to participate in, and if the results are somewhat predictable, it certainly is a lot of fun.Yes, Liza's talent is way too big just to be a dance teacher in Buffalo, but why deny Liza's billion fans the chance to see her in her first big movie in years. Unfortunately, the big wigs at Paramount were very leery of this movie's chance at success, and it only had minimal release, mostly in big cities where they knew they'd at least get the gay audience to rush to see her. She builds the dancers from the ground up and the results are triumphant for her and the pupils as the big day nears. Of course, the first show they do still shows them as awkward but there's a lavish finale where top hats, canes and sequins take over and Liza gets to sing, too! So put aside your cynicism, break out your own tap shoes, and you too will be steppin' out with Judy's baby.
Without doubt, one of the worst films ever made. Sluggish and without structure, tension or story, the film coasts on the thin premise of "putting together a show". Conflicts are resolved within two or three seconds of their inception and dialogue is random and incidental. Everything is put together in a slapdash order and often "Stepping Out" feels more like a deleted scenes reel than an actual movie. The film seems to exist merely as a showcase for gaudy and totally random Liza musical numbers. Shelly Winters can be seen in the far superior octo-epic "Tentacles", and the REAL Liza can be found in the Showtime release of "Queer Duck: The Movie".
This must have been a left over script that Judy turned down, so they dusted it off and gave it to Liza instead. Typical Garland/Rooney story, where a dance troop decides to put on a show, in this case, for a charity. This movie isn't bad, but it gets off to a slow start, and finally becomes entertaining at the end. Of course there are a few dance numbers thrown in for Liza to demonstrate that she can still sing and dance in 1991! She looked too thin, and her complexion wasn't healthy looking. Knowing what we know now, you can probably guess what was up with her looks. The rest of the cast is okay, but I wouldn't want to spend any more time with them. The secondary players weren't that compelling, nor for that mater, was Liza's character.
Lewis Gilbert finds more magic with Julie Walters who is brilliant in her bit. Liza Minelli is terrific and everybody is having a grand old time in one of the best movies nobody's ever heard of. This is by no means a great or important film, but it is marvelously enjoyable entertainment from beginning to end in a true ensemble piece. If you are in the video store and just want to feel good, rent this film.