Watch High Strung For Free

Who payed the critics

As Good As It Gets

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This feel-good, come-from-behind movie is refreshing and the two protagonists are attractive and appealing, while their antagonist is a jerk. If you presume the outcome will be positive the twists in the story are predictable but not shocking. The retrieval of the beloved violin at the very end evokes the memory of Johnnie's deceased father, about whom nothing is ever told. Since Galitzine is from a family of Russian aristocrats who fled to England after the Russian Revolution maybe the father could be famous, but who knows? The roommate Jasmine seems to be an afterthought, and why bother to have her involved with a druggie? Likewise the scam-lawyer immigration scam seems contrived, but it moves the story along.It's a pity the film chose to perpetuate the '80s image of the New York City subway system, with graffiti-covered cars. New York MTA does not allow movies shot in the city to be depicted that way, and the subway scenes are patently not there. The illusion of New York is done pretty well, though, although the Inwood loft is not convincing because first of all those lofts do not exist in Inwood and second of all where they do exist the rents are beyond what an undocumented alien could afford. The Manhattan School of Music doubles pretty well as the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts. Shooting the music and dance scenes in Bucharest must have saved a bundle, but it should have been done with New York studio performers. Johnnie does appear actually to be playing the violin himself, without simulation.

What a gem of a film. I wasn't expecting much when I hit the 'Play' button, but as I kept watching, I was surprised at how good it turned out to be. It was predictable at times and yet I found myself still rooting for the main characters. Have you ever started watching a movie and during the opening credits, you start scrolling through your cell phone? That's what I did in the beginning. After hearing the music, I looked up, put my cell phone down and stared enjoying the scenery in the 1st few minutes. I was hooked after that. If you have seen a lot of dance movies (Step-up, Save the Last Dance, Stomp the Yard) I suggest you give this film a chance. It might surprise you, like it did me.

This was a surprisingly interesting movie with beautiful dancing and music playing, which (music playing) I have been solely missing in other such movies. It is the classic underdog story but with new and fresh moments. The violin was amazing and the movie's ballet-oriented dancing delightful and strong. Of course the boy-meets-girl-and-they-fall-in-love cliché was present but no major "tragedy" between the main leads was portrayed right before 'the decisive moment', and that was both refreshing and much appreciated. Additionally, there was no big drama around joining the competition and the crew did not fight.The final dance was astonishing, so beautiful for both the eyes and the ears, I was at a loss of words!!!

Thank goodness someone finally made a dance film that fits the bill as entertaining, artsy and family friendly. The two leads (Keenan Kampa and Nicholas Galitzine) are new comers to Hollywood but they do a wonderful job, have amazing chemistry and are certainly attractive to gaze at! I especially enjoyed all the twists and turns of the plot but the dance is what really shines in this film! There are numerous styles of dance from Hip Hop to Tango, Irish Dance and Ballet. It is rare that a movie can capture dance but the scenes are brilliantly edited and directed so that you feel emotionally connected. The original score is an integral part of this movie and it weaves it's way through the film in a seamless blend of classical and current music. The final dance scene will have you cheering and crying while you are on the edge of your seat! I was really surprised that even my husband flipped over this film. If you want to see a wonderful "feel good" movie that is appropriate for the entire family, you will be in for a treat with High Strung!