Review of A Chorus Line (1985) by Eytan D — 19 Feb 2014

It's definitely not the worst movie musical. "The Wiz" still holds that title. But "A Chorus Line" is the most disappointing movie musical. The show exposed the harsh reality of auditioning in theatre with a nice tinge of humor.

The movie does that a little bit, but not enough. It becomes less about the auditionees and more about the auditioner and his relationship with one of the dancers. Both the stories of the dancers and the story between director Zac and Cassie need to equal each other out, and the movie fails to do that.

Then comes the problem with the music. There are still some great songs here, but most of them ultimately feel like a missed opportunity, especially the show's signature number "What I Did For Love".

A wonderful Broadway score gets traded in for cheesy 80's pop, and some of these actors don't have enough voices to match with these songs. Overall, this "Chorus Line" is not God-awful like "The Wiz" but, sadly, it could have been so much more.