Netflix's Work It Review

"You illuminated the shit out of this place."

I will be the very first person to admit that I love me a good coming-of-age story mixed with a rom-com. Add dancing, cute friendships and a good cast, and I'm all in.

Sabrina Carpenter plays the lead in this new Netflix Original — a character named Quinn, an off beat and clumsy brainiac with an overbearing mother who wants to go to Duke because that's where her dead father went. Unfortunately, just being smart isn't enough to get her into the University of her dreams. No, the admissions lady conducting the interview told her she needed to be exciting and to stand out from the crowd so ... Quinn leads her to believe that she's part of her high school's famous dance team and that she will be participating in a national dance competition.

She isn't, of course. She can barely dance. Actually, she can barely move without fumbling or tripping over something or spilling something all over her work station and endangering the lives of other people. This is why she and her best friend, who is an actual dancer (I guess?) and played by internet personality Liza Koshy, enlists the help of a handsome injured performer named Jake, played by Jordan Fisher of P.S. I Still Love You fame. With these two helping her, they form a band of misfits masquerading as a dance team.

This suspiciously reminds me of that plot from Step Up 2, a bit, but we'll forget that for now, I guess. We can blame it on the fact that it is a pretty overdone plot and that this film actually did it better, if you can believe it.

There's some second act angst and turmoil, as there always is in movies like these. But, of course, by the end of the movie Quinn is able to pass as a dancer to win the competition, she and Jake get (back, although short-lived as it was) together, she learns she really loves dancing and she doesn't need to go to Duke to make herself happy, and she gets her mother's approval to do what she really loves. It is a very predictable plot. But, it's still a cute film.

Carpenter actually brings a pretty good performance to the table here. We know she can sing and we know she’s pretty, but she brings an innocence to Quinn that makes her nice to watch and she has a charm and an undeniable charisma that makes a cheesy film like this even work. Fisher is a pretty good co-lead, and he’s definitely a good love interest. I do hope that he finds his niche in these types of movies, especially with Netflix, because he is very good to watch.

The supporting cast… well, we didn’t see enough of them for me to truly judge. Liza Koshy didn’t really seem like she was acting so much as she just learned to dance for the role, I’m assuming. But her mannerisms and lines seemed like something she says on a daily basis, so no points there. The villain was there too, I guess, and I wish we saw more of him because I honestly think Keiynan Lonsdale is a cute dude and a good actor and honestly a good teen film actor. He wasn’t very flushed out and this film did him no favours.

But, anyway. Should you watch it? Sure. It’s a fun little film, only about an hour and 30 minutes, which isn’t a bad run time considering how long some movies can be these days. It’s a good movie for when you’re just looking to unwind and not think. The cast is diverse and Jordan Fisher seems to be rising up the star meter on Netflix’s dime. It’s nice to see.

Also, the soundtrack was killer.

Rating: 2.5/5