#GeraldScaife

[adamwatchesmovies]

Breakin’ (1984)

I know you’ve heard of Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo - the movie with the greatest title of all time. Haven't you ever wondered what the first one was like? Well, the performances are a bit dodgy, the plot is simplistic and there’s not a whole lot of character development, but Breakin' knows this and makes up for it. Every scene contains ample laughs, plenty of kickin’ pieces of music, and spectacular dance moves.

Kelly (Lucinda Dickey) is a waitress who wants to dance professionally. While dodging her creepy dance instructor Franco (Ben Lokey), she befriends two street dancers: Ozone (Adolfo ‘Shabba Doo’  Quiñones) and Turbo (Michael ‘Boogaloo Shrimp’ Chambers). This dream team hopes of making a living dancing but it’s easier said than done. Most people consider their moves barbaric, outlandish, or even dangerous.

It would be hard to argue with anyone who calls this a bad film. The acting is only okay - at best and the plot is merely a way to excuse scene after scene of dancing… but isn’t that what we came to see? It would be great if hot dogs were nutritious, but I’ll settle for them being tasty and filling. This logic is why I'll call Breakin' a good film. Director Joel Silberg has modest goals and attains them triumphantly. Every scene - and I mean every scene - features cool dance numbers. Some I'd even categorize as "spectacular". Rather than see them from faraway, the camera gets you in the middle of the action. That's worth the price of admission.

I’ll also call the film legitimately good because it’s clearly funny on purpose. The biggest laugh comes from a rapidly escalating dinner fight but throughout, you’ll find plenty of gags or lines to make you chuckle. When the film is trying to be somewhat serious it’s also ripe with laughs of the unintentional kind. It's a blend of legitimately well-made moments and zany scenes so bad they make you smile. Even if the performances were resplendent, you’d have a hard time taking it seriously because this is one of the most '80s movies I've ever seen. I guess what I’m trying to say is that by being worse, the film is better.

While the plot is simplistic, even paint-by-numbers at times, I'll confess to finding myself invested in it due to the charming performances and the physical skills on display. Maybe today is the day my taste has finally collapsed under the weight of all the bad movies I’ve seen, but I like this picture. I like the soundtrack, the moves, the '80s-ness. I only got this film because it came in a 2-pack with the much better-known sequel but I’m glad I took the time to check out Breakin’. (On Blu-ray, October 7, 2016)