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Movies / Upcoming / Make It Happen
Make It Happen

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Make It Happen (2008)

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Reviews Counted:17

Fresh:4

Rotten:13

Average Rating:4.2/10

Consensus: Cheap, predictable, formulaic and unimaginative generic dance film. Comes across as Showgirls for simpleton teens, but with much less flesh on show.

Genre: Musical & Performing Arts

US Box Office: $0

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Riley Smith

Starring: Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Riley Smith

Director: Darren Grant

Director: Darren Grant
Screenwriter: Duane Adler, Nicole Avril
Studio: Weinstein Company

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Make It Happen

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1 - 17 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
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Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

We know the trajectory, it's a question of how brightly the rocket burns and how interested we are in the astronauts aboard this dance missile from small town Indiana to Chicago Big Time Dance School

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
12/20/08
Andrew L. Urban
Andrew L. Urban
Urban Cinefile
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Mary Elizabeth Winstead [has] star quality.

Full Review Source: Courier Mail (Australia) | comment Comment
09/05/08
Des Partridge
Des Partridge
Courier Mail (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's hard to dislike all these urban musicals aimed at teenage girls, and even harder to tell them apart.

Full Review Source: The Age (Australia) | comment Comment
09/05/08
Jake Wilson
Jake Wilson
The Age (Australia)
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film should have been called Rehash Dance, because it is Flashdance without any new ideas.

Full Review Source: Sun Online | comment Comment
08/08/08
Sun Online

Then you wait for the moment one of the regular girls gets injured, the hostess has to find a replacement and... the rest you know.

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
08/08/08
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Independent

There's dancing, there's emotion, there's an earnestly cheesy inspirational storyline, there's nothing you won't have seen before.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/08/08
Daniel Etherington
Daniel Etherington
Channel 4 Film

...yet another tedious inspirational tale revolving around a would-be dancer's efforts at transcending her wrong-side-of-the-tracks upbringing to become a professional hoofer.

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/20/09
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

So predictable that you know exactly what’s going to happen at any given minute.

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
08/08/08
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
This is London

It’s all just filler between the dance scenes, which are admittedly fun. Think Pussycat Dolls with slightly more clothes on. Unrepentantly formulaic, but enjoyable all the same.

Full Review Source: Total Film | comment Comment
08/08/08
Ellen E Jones
Ellen E Jones
Total Film

This awesomely unambitious film has all the depth of a Pepsi ad.

Full Review Source: Sky Movies | comment Comment
08/08/08
Elliott Noble
Elliott Noble
Sky Movies

This film's limp retelling of the against-all-odds cliche just doesn't bump, grind or sweat enough to make it happen.

Full Review Source: MovieTime, ABC Radio National | comment Comment
09/05/08
Jason Di Rosso
Jason Di Rosso
MovieTime, ABC Radio National
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It could be a contemporary take on classic backstage musicals. Or it could be the end of the cinematic arts as we know them.

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
08/08/08
Kevin Maher
Kevin Maher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

In short, this is a watchable dance movie and Winstead's performance just about compensates for the generally poor direction.

Full Review Source: ViewLondon | comment Comment
08/07/08
Matthew Turner
Matthew Turner
ViewLondon

The directing’s lazy, the love interest is a smarmy douche and the dialogue is flatter than Winstead’s toned tummy.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/08/08
Nick De Semlyen
Nick De Semlyen
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Its just as cheesy and just as icky, but calamitously fails to offer any high-octane dance to ease the pain.

Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
08/08/08
Peter Bradshaw
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Despite boundless energy and some surprisingly artful photography, ‘Make it Happen’ is never more than product. Cheap, abysmally scripted and utterly soulless.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
08/08/08
Tom Huddlestone
Tom Huddlestone
Time Out

The story may be predictable but Winstead infuses every moment with an amazing amount of charm.

Full Review Source: Teletext | comment Comment
08/07/08
Victor Olliver
Victor Olliver
Teletext
 
 
1 - 17 (sorted by comments; Australian critics are listed first)
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