So you and I did our press day yesterday.
We did, and one of the questions that we asked, we went on the Spotify channel of it, what is it the Radio Disney. What's not Radio Disney anymore, but it's like the Disney Serious XM Disney Hits channel. Yes, and they were asking us to pick our four favorite songs and all that cut, which then led me to one of my earliest memories, which was watching Mary Poppins. I gotta be three. I'm three or four at the most, and I'm watching Mary Poppins and I spent the whole
day learning the words to super Califragilistic Xpialidocious. What was your first ever Disney song that you remember that?
I remember part of your World Little Mermaid really okay? Yes? And then when I started training vocally, that was my first song that I was learning techniques and things like that. That was the first song that I actually did. But I remember it when I was really little, you know, the looking up through that whole just wishing to get out of this horrible kingdom under the royal Kingdom. That just is absolute garbage, you know. And my my favorite
line is maybe they don't reprimand their daughters. That's like my favorite line in the movie. Now, as an adult, you know her idea of thinking, oh yeah, if you use your legs, you know, and walk on sand, obviously your your parents respect you more right and give you whatever you want.
Well, it's the it is the perfect grass is always greener on the other side through the ocean. Oh my, I think I'm sorry. I would have stayed in the kingdom as much as I would have loved to have gone up and fallen in love.
She went from one kingdom to the next.
Right, exactly.
It wasn't like she Yeah, she traded side upgrade. I'm not sure she leveled up really.
Oh my, exactly. Well, welcome to Magical Rewind, the show that makes you want to grab your friends, your pj's, and your popcorn and go back to a time when all the houses were smart, the waves, tsunamis and the high school's musical.
I'm Wilford Dell and I'm Sabrina Bryan.
Oh today, let's grab your pom poms break out the salsa moves because this week we've got the spirit. Yes we do, We've got the spirit. How about you? For two thousand and two's coming of age drama gotta kick it up once again with an exclamation point. Disney's answer to Bring it On also at the good point, which was the sleeper hit theatrical release from two years before this, which exploded. I mean the Bring It On was enormous. I went and saw Bring It On in the theater
with people. It was everybody else I did. It was great. Chater movie is great. Okay, gotta love it. But this movie brings a Latina swing to things and most notably, is one of only a few quote unquote based on a true story movies that the Disney Channel has ever made, and it's based on the true life experience of Megan Cole, who actually co produced the movie and was involved in the Teach for America program that places instructors and under
resource schools all across America. She was a Harvard graduate who found herself at the Nimitz Middle School in Huntington Park, California, where she started the school's first competitive dance program. If you'd like to watch this movie first, it is available on Disney Plus. So this is not when you have to YouTube. Go to Disney Plus and you can watch it there. If you want to watch along with us. If you don't, you can go back and watch it later.
But we're getting out ahead of ourselves, so before we end up with four weeks to detention, let's get to the synopsis. Biology teacher, Miss Bartlett is new at the rough around the edge is Marshall Middle School. I am emphasizing middle school for as we talk about more things. But when she finds herself as the new dance teacher, she must battle troubled relationships, failing grades, low self esteem,
and a lack of funds. But with a group of inspired students in their new CIP did I say that right? Ci sipe attitude, they can prove anything is possible. Now, as I was watching this movie, one thing was going through my head, which is this is like made for you, This is your wheelhouse movie because not only is it dancing and all the other stuff, but don't you coach a team that's like this.
Basically, I will tell you right now, this movie is hands down the hardest one I've had to watch, because I coach a dance team that competes at these competitions that they are putting on the screen, and I am going to my nationals tomorrow. We start we did a Nationals of Florida and then there's the Nationals here at over by the Convention Center. I could say that because this isn't happening within real time audience, so you know, but yes, I'm going to it tomorrow. This was really hard.
I am in it, so I'm gonna preface that. And I say this because right now I am in the midst of critiquing choreography, both mine, my competitors. I mean, I am in it. So it was so hard for me to sit and enjoy this movie because all I could think of is the routines that were on the you know, while they're dancing, the dancing they're doing on the side, how they are practicing. It was so tough.
You took this movie personally?
Yes, I did well. I could not let myself just chill out. It was so hard, and I was getting frustrated with myself. Sometimes I wish that you and I would watch these movies together, but there's no You would have hated me. You would have hated me. I could not stop talking. No one was in the room with me while I was watching this. I was talking to myself that was what what are they doing? How does that make sense? What kind of coaches?
This?
Are you serious? Worst coach? I mean, okay, So I had to get that out. I just had to blurt it out.
We will, we will will. I want to get into that because there's I have. I have legitimate and I'm not I'm not trying to bash the movie at all. I am getting way better at watching the movies for how you're supposed to watch the movie exactly. You know, I'm I'm trying to get into that mindset. Well, that's what I want to get into. But I normally I also and he does not like when I do this, but producer Jensen gives us some breakdowns of the movie and he'll give us some lines to say occasionally. And
the one he wrote I have to say. And I know you hated, Jensen, but I'm calling you out for this one because it says that Sabrina is a true expert of stuff like this. This is like if they made a d com about a guy who loves mash and has a wife named Susan.
I just laugh. I read it, dude, I laughed out loud flaw that line.
And I'm not taking credit, sorry Jensen, but so I mean again, was any of it real? Are the competition? The competitions like this, and yes, okay.
So real? When we get to our Sabrina seas it's okay. Well, first of all, I had my Sabrina Sea's list was like five pages long. But it then I had to go, we'll not gonna understand that. The audience isn't gonna get that. Okay, you're going way too deep here, you know it, So I had to take it down. And then the final one is kind of more of a little real life insight of the competition.
So originally it would have been Sabrina sees too much?
Yes, Sabrina, just close your eyes.
You're seeing too much this.
Time, too much? Calm it down. It's a Disney movie. Everyone loves this movie for so many reasons. So that's what I'm gonna focus on the reasons why people did love this movie.
Do your dancers put petroleum jelly on their teeth so they smile?
No? But I've heard that in Not that I was real big in it, but I heard that that's a patcheant thing.
Is it just so it tastes so gross that you don't want to shut your mouth?
I don't know. Again, I'm not a pageant girl, but I've heard it before, but it was referenced in the pageant world.
Okay, interesting, let's give our initial thoughts. What were your initial thoughts of the movie.
Okay, So I didn't get that it was a middle school until the very end credit when it says what happened after the girls made second place? And then it staid I don't know how. I just wasn't hearing it. I'm sure it was said over and over again because.
You didn't want to because it's weird middle school.
They don't look like middle school. And middle school is six through eighth grade. It is not ninth grade. It maybe in my area, so in the Southern California district area.
That's most most of it is. You're correct because I was the same way middle school six seven eight. But there are some schools that go K through six and then seven eight nine is another school. They're rare, okay, but mostly they do K through six and then seven eight will be a different school.
And that that's what I did. Right there, was to sixth grade. Then I went to junior High. I didn't go to middle school. I went to junior high, which was seventh and eighth grade, and then I went to high school. The middle school's in my area. If there is a middle part, you know, that's not junior high. A middle school is six seventh and eighth graders. Yeah, so the whole part, you know, I really wasn't caught up in that while I watched at the end, I went way a minute.
But when you think about it, it changes everything. Yes, it feels like a loophole that they used to cast older actors. Frankly, okay, and I want to talk about that a bit because there are certain things. When I was a freshman in high school, which is ninth grade, I was one of the younger kids because my birthdays in the summer same. I was thirteen.
Yes, I turned fourteen the like first or second week.
Of school, so thirteen. Maybe I was fourteen when I started school, But that's young. She's got a guy who he's an older boyfriend there. I mean, they're supposed to be like thirteen years old in this.
Movie, which he's older.
Threw me the whole time.
Yeah, yeah, that was weird.
Though I had trouble. I did not dislike the movie.
I had trouble, And I'm totally honest as a forty seven year old man, I had trouble connecting with this film. I just I really did. I had trouble connecting with this movie. I could absolutely see one hundred percent how young girls or young women watching this movie eleven, twelve, thirteen years old would love this movie.
I totally get.
I had the opposite. I could not disconnect from this.
I could not take myself out that could not get myself out of it. Well, again, it's part so in your wheelhouse. This is a great movie for you.
But yes, you're right. I had a hard time with the plotline that they were pushing. I don't know what year, I know it was years before this, but it was sort of trying to push a little dangerous Minds movie.
Yes, we have to talk about that, because it talked.
About gangs, keeping the kids out a gang.
He doesn't age great nowadays.
None of these kids looked like they were remotely going. Even Chewie was not gang looking.
No, these are all good kids.
But again, it's a Disney movie. I know it's a Disney movie, you know. I mean, I don't think they needed to go as far as saying gangs. They could have just said to keep them out of trouble, keeping off the streets, you know, keep them active, not going home and sitting on a couch, you know.
Because they were all good kids.
They really were, Yeah, they were.
They all seemed like great kids.
You know.
Some of them were sassy. The opening scene within the classrouse Holy moly, yeah you kidding me. Sit down.
Speaking of that, we should we should talk about the cast because the cast has some obvious standout people.
So, my gosh, how amazing would it have been to be a part of a cast that is now.
Just huge, huge. So the movie stars someone who had a twenty twenty three for the Ages, to say the least. But it really all started here because America Ferarra is Yolanda Yoli Vargas and this was her first job on TV. She'd only been in one movie so far in her career called Real Women Have Curves, and it was earlier that year. Everybody probably knows her as the star of Ugly Betty, where she won an Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy and Superstore, but you might also
know her from Sisterhood of the Traveler Pants. Love that movie, a nice, small.
Little movie that nobody else saw.
The other year, what was it called Barbie Yes, and where she's currently nominated for an ost where.
She has the most incredible monologue that every woman.
I haven't seen it yet, so dull, I haven't seen it.
Well, I can't recite it for you, but that is a monologue that every woman can relate.
It's already ruined it for me because I know she speaks, and you said, now she's got a monologue. I can't watch the movie.
I can't.
I can't know one little thing about no Kid. And then there's Camille Gwatti as Daisy sealinis the most talented of the bunch and bestie's with Yoli, who has also a super questionable relationship with a much older boyfriend. But she also is the one who has the abilities to obviously propel her beyond the Marshall Middle School, but has an attitude she's by far the biggest troublemaker and so they have to She's got to curb that if she
wants to move forward in life. Johanna Flores is Marisol, who has dreams of becoming an elegant ballerina, but lacks the resources or encouragement. Frankly, and we'll get into her life a little bit right. Sabrina Wiener is Esmeralda Rena, and she's the nicest, almost goodie two shoes of the bunch who we think is possible she's a narc I don't know, you don't know how to what's gonna come up with that, but it is interesting.
Oh Man, watching her do that contemporary solo audition piece was so funny.
Funny was that the the interpretive dance piece, because.
She's a great dancers, she's a good dan.
That whole scene was very funny. And then Susan Egan is the tech employee turned new teacher and coach Heather Bartlett. She originated the role of Bell in Theadway adaptation of Beauty and the Beast in nineteen ninety four.
She was nominated for a Tony Award.
Is a total Disney legend, but she's known now for her voice acting, which is my world. She's Meg and the Disney animated movie Hercules, and is still working for the company on video games like Kingdom Hearts, which I was in as well, and Disney Speedstorm. So she and I might have actually worked together and never met, because sometimes, especially video games, you record at different times most of the.
Time, okay, yeah.
And then of course there's the very recognizable character actor Miguel Sandoval who plays principal Zavala, and you might know him from every movie all the time, Jurassic Park, Clear and Present, Danger, Get Shorty. He was on HBO's Barry. He has almost two hundred credits to his name. If you want to go look him up, you'll be there for hours looking at this man's resume. And did six years of the TV show Medium the Movies, as we like to talk about. It runs a very meager seventy
eight minutes. This is a fast, fast movie, our shortest film yet and twelve minutes below the perfect Disney bulls Eye. It first aired July twenty six, two thousand and two, to one point one eight million viewers, which is low as we've seen on the channel from the other movies that we've talked about, and was filmed at for Dugo
High School into Hunga, California. It was written by Nancy Dalo Sentos, a producer of the classic j Lo Selena movie Great Movie, and directed by Ramon Mendez, best known as director of Stand and Deliver, The nineteen eighty eight non Disney non dancing, very very good version of this movie. So okay again trying to connect with the film on certain levels that I thought the acting was good, Yes,
you know, certainly the acting was good. The people that they cast were engaged and likable and seemed to care about the material. I had a serious problem getting over the fact that they were in middle school.
Yeah. Not one of them looks like a middle.
School It just threw me, and I mean, like really not looking like they were in middle school. When Camille Oh did the film, she's playing thirteen fourteen, she was twenty five.
Wow.
So it's not even like eighteen to play fourteen. No, she was twenty five years old playing a middle school.
Wow.
And then when you realize they're in middle school, she's getting she's with an older boyfriend, so he's at least sixteen, but they've talked about how he was in school for a while and then dropped out so he could be closer to eighteen dating a middle schooler. Yeah. I also one of the things that threw me, and I watch every movie twice. The lead of our film is the only person I mean, America Ferrara as well, but some of the other girls a lot of the other girls,
you went into their home life. M h.
You saw Camille come out of her house.
But you they didn't get into her home life at all, which I thought for the lead of a movie was a little.
Strange and I kept waiting for it me too, thinking you know, there was gonna be I mean, the only time that she was actually in her her house and you saw the walls of her room was when she calls to say she'd like an application.
That was it, and that's it, and it was like the late night crying she like it. But that's all you see. You don't know anything about her home life.
You know, the home life of some of the supporting characters, but not the lead, but not the lead of.
Your movie, which I which threw me.
Right, Yeah, I mean, she did have the boyfriend, so you know that was her struggle. Her relationship with her boyfriend, that was her struggle, right, But yeah.
She talks about them. They talk about her mom because he says, don't tell your mom that you're thinking of dropping out. I'm already a bad enough influence, so right. I mean, they mentioned her family life, but but they yeah, they don't get into it in any way. Yeah, the shape or form. I'd like to reiterate one more time. They're supposed to be in middle school. I can't. I know people, everyone's gonna be like, dude, get over it. They're in middle school. You just have to get over it.
I will say, it makes sense when you see the level of disrespect that they give the teacher, because from friends that I know so many of them that our school teachers do not. If you know, during their subbing days, they said middle school was the hardest age to sure because they're pushing boundaries so much. The level of disrespect happens way more.
So.
Maybe that's the only thing that I could say as far as making sense as being middle school the rest of it.
What would you do if your dancers treated you the way that her dancers treated her.
I mean, you know, my girls are certainly not perfect, but my girls, I will say, are so respectful. I don't have to ever do that. You know. Even the worst is you know, them you know, maybe not being organized or them talking when I'm talking. That's the only thing that I ever really had, normal stuff, the normal stuff, you know, look at me as I'm talking. That kind
of stuff. Other than that, I've got such great girls that I don't have that if they if they were like this, I would have quit coaching way long ago. If that was how every year would come in and I was constantly having to correct the bad behavior. And on that level, there's no way I would continue coaching.
And you're the high school level. Yes, yeah, Now is there have you checked? Is there any chance that your girls are actually in their thirties playing high school?
No? I've questioned it on some other teams though. Let me tell you sometimes their girls look a little mature compared to my little glitterbugs.
More mature than the kid in middle schools walking in the back round with a beard. There was everybody I'm looking at him like that guy looks like he's thirty right.
Well, because they I'm sure they stocked the you know, set list of data, background dancers with adults.
They had well they had to. I mean, if they want to shoot the movie.
But I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna keep harping on it. But you pivot when you get on the set and you go, you know what, let's make it high school.
Let's at least make it it's just high school.
The would have been nothing wrong.
With their seniors, and she's getting Now Camille's character has a chance to go to college, and so all the same exact storyline, but you make them in high school.
Exactly, it would have really changed absolutely nothing. It would have just been more believable.
Chances are, though at that time they're trying Disney's probably trying to appeal to a younger class of kids. Yep.
But our movie The Cheatah Girls came out the year after, and we were freshmen in high school and we were ninth graders.
Yeah, so there you go. That's right.
You're supposed to be the same age as the Cheetah Girls in this movie.
Right.
Wow. Okay, well let's get into the first the early scene. So miss Bartlett comes in. She joins her first ever biology class. She's apparently fresh out of Silicon Valley and now trying to explain why the kids need biology, even though, as one of her students says, he'd be quote unquote better off bust in some beats. And they all start drumming on their desks so Daisy can stand up, and she starts dancing all around the room. Again disrespectful to
a teacher, but not crazy awful. It's not like you and not you know, they're not calling her names, They're not.
No. What was horrible for me is I was trying to find the beat that they were going for. I could not get the rhythm. I couldn't either that I rewound it going am I is it me? And it was all over the place. They could have actually established a rhythm.
And now, okay, so I agree with you one hundred percent. I also have to ask you a question that I'm going to put you on the spot for because I don't know this at all. Okay, are they good dancers?
Oh? You are putting me on the spot.
I know. Again, I don't know. I could see the bat unless I mean, I grew up watching ballet, so unless it's Barishnakugh or something like that. I have trouble spotting really good dancers. So I don't know.
Yeah, I think, you know, I think Camille definitely had a lot of dance, you know, the higher level of dance background. I don't think the other ones America had a great rhythm. I don't know how trained she was as a dancer, but she definitely has moves that she works on, you know, or has you know, worked with as far as maybe around the house and you know, family or something. But this wasn't like part of the movie where you go as a dancer ooh all right.
I mean, it wasn't like Step Up when you know, Channing Tatum busts out some actual dancing and he's just yeah, freestyling that. That was not this moment.
Don't get me started on the Step Up franchise.
Don't get me started, because I'm one of those guys.
Who love, oh my god, dance movies.
The second somebody turns almost and looks at the camera and says like we need to protest dance, I will set up a tent in front of the theater to be the first one in line. Yet and the Step Ups just getting progressively better when they really bring Moose in.
No, the dancing's just getting dnculous on that. So anyways, but this was not one of those moments. This was not oh wow, you know, but it was good. However, my issue is that a lot of the choreography as well, you know, as you get through it, there's times where I'm going to stop in and have some comments about the choreography that the actors were given.
And again to go back to the quote unquote disrespect. They show the teacher in the school at the end of the day dancing in class, playing music so that they can have a pep rally. These I mean, yes, they're they're breaking the rules, but these are not awful things that they're having them do.
The the pep rally was cute.
Yeah, they're good kids.
I love that pep rally.
Yeah, that was fun.
That was a fun moment in the movie, for sure.
I did not understand since we're starting about the start. We're talking about the start of the movie. They set it up where America's character Yoli goes and buys pencils and stuff she needs and then peanut butter cups and then she walks in the bully stopper and then destroy your peanut butter cups and then that's never brought back again.
Any She's not bullied consecutively over and over again.
No, there was that that just kind of I didn't know if if the bad the actual bad kids, were going to come back in any way, shape or form, or if that was just to distinguish between the real bad kids and the kind of pseudo bad kids.
I thought it was to distinguish Camille's character as being respected and and tough.
Yeah, like she could step to be able.
To push that bully off. That's how I saw it.
I can see that.
But then again, it was like never her her being, you know, her weight. That was not a part of the the storyline. It was just this one comment, which to me ended up being I didn't like that if it was going to be part of a storyline of something she overcomes and her self confidence, but you only had a.
Ton of confidence. Oh yeah, no, she was.
Not suffering through any of that. I loved her character. Yeah, I loved her.
I did too.
No, again, the characters were were great.
I would like to have seen them maybe a little bit more done with them, but they acting, especially I thought was very very good.
I think it's hard when there's so many of them to really try to dive in and build and you know, have overcoming moments for each of them when there's so many characters.
I agree, But I mean Susan Egan great performance.
I mean I would have done a little more with her character, and some of the stuff was a little strange, but she was good.
Did you because I'm not going to say this during spree seas because it's a different thing. But this was definitely under it was she not a Reba McIntyre look alike.
She kind of looked a little bit like Reba kinda she.
I mean, if I had been watching this movie from Afar and couldn't really tell, I would have thought that was Riba.
Okay, I want to make that just the hashtag of the day.
Thought that was thought that was Riba. She was great, but she was very good. Looks so much like Riba to me. I really it took me a while to get over that. Okay, the Riva fans, this was.
It was not It was not Riba. I can I can verify.
Thank you for that spoiler alert.
Thank you for the spoilers. Can we talk for just a second about Chewie. Yeah, because he's a super nice guy. He's he's supportive, uh he he loves being her boyfriend.
But this guy should not be dating a middle schooler.
Well, I think you're gonna have to get over that. No, you're right, we've established that. They Let's say, though, just to kind of get past it, that she was in high school great boyfriend in a lot of ways, Yes, hear dating somebody who has just quit school. That's a big red flag. And I don't know. It's like it kept going back and forth, it kept going back and forth. It was, Oh, he's so sweet, but he quit school.
But then he's the one that takes the girls and and volunteers his gets his buddies to get the girls to the competition, handles the music.
For them up, supportive of her.
Yes, he's super supportive. Then he has, you know, a little temper tantrum about whether or not she was in it for him and all this stuff, but then redeems himself at the end. It has a great moment. That's when I really clicked back in at the end, going, this is why I love Disney movies. Look at him, he's grown up a little bit. It's just nice short amount of time. This hi guy.
I agree with you that it's a bit of a red flag that you drop out of high school. You should always finish high school. But they do go out of their way to say that he's got a job.
You know, he's holding it together.
It's not like he's dropped out of high school and is hanging out on the streets or he's a bad guy.
He's not a gang member that they allude to Earl.
No, it just school wasn't for him, and he went and is handling his business in another way.
But then sees how successful.
She is in her career in middle school and decides to go back to school himself.
Which I loved. I loved.
Yea. Well, that's one thing they didn't talk about is Chewy is actually only in the fourth grade in this movie.
I'm glad he's going back to glad he's going back to school.
That's a lot of miss school opportunity. Yeah, well, I promise I'm never gonna mention it again. I just think this entire movie is different if they're in high school as opposed to middle school. That's all I'm saying.
Sure, and in how it is set up, she we would absolutely be in jail.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I think.
So we're gonna have to get over that. We're just gonna have to.
Get that's it. Never mentioning it again, it is what it is, never mentioned again. So then es Marelda. It works in the school office. She gets is filing because he's the student. We did this at our school too, where the students would.
Work in the office of office aids.
Yeah. Sure, absolutely, and she finds out that miss Bartlett has Juilliard in her resume and ask the principle if they can get her to teach the dance squad because the last teacher has retired and most likely from stress because the team is terrible. But Bartlett has that you can are you can tell instantly she's got some kind of history and it's not a good one with dance because she wants to shy away from this, right. I mean she literally says, dancing is part of my past, like She'm.
Not interested in opening that box again. Yeah, and keep that shut and locked, thankfu.
And I wanted to know what she's like, Ooh, there's a there's a story here, which she kind of tells three different times in the movie. When she does finally give in that girls, obviously, you know she wants to start from what she knows. She's going to put the team together. They put that, they have the tryouts and
the girls are just not disciplined. They obviously the old coach was if they can't even do one kind of kicking or chorus line thing together, then the old coach literally did nothing nothing, Yes.
And unfortunately to kind of step in in reality, Unfortunately, there are schools with programs like that that put together these kids and then just do nothing or are unqualified to teach it. You know, they're doing it as you know, a stipend and they're not really doing much. So that is very sad. That makes me sad that there's programs out there like that.
The guys on Boy Mets World we worked with a choreographer for three days to do the hot Stuff dance, and a lot of us were terrible, but we were in sync after three days.
Okay, you're right.
So it's like you figure the slightest little amount of work and at least the girls. So you kind of hate the old teacher who you hate the kids, not their fault, the old teacher.
It's like you literally did nothing.
Now we do need to address one little thing that hasn't kind of aged very well, because this is these movies were really big back in the nineties of kind of the what is now being called the White Savior setup, right, like you said, the uh Mind's Cool Runnings blind Side, where it's you know, the white person comes in to an underprivileged school or town or something like that and saves the day. Has an aged great we won't. We're not gonna harp on it because it's a Disney movie
and we're here to have fun. But not the best look anymore. But it's it's yeah, it's just a tired trope. But it leads to some that I mean, not the fact that she's white, but the fact that a teacher who knows how to dance comes in and sets up here's what really needs.
To happen, right and levels up the program right, levels up everything. That's amazing, amazing and great opportunity for the kid.
Leads to what I thought was the funniest scene of the movie, which is the audition scene, which is all of them dancing and them just and then just cutting to the teacher kind of watching them dancing. Yes, and again es Merelda with the interpret when she rolls on the ground twice and is kind of like in the fetal position. It was hysterical.
Yeah, I love that Sabrina scene on. That was super good. It was so funny. And that's when so again here I am actual coach. I coach phenomenal dancers, phenomenal dancers, and I'm going, okay, not one of them has done one technical aspect. They've basically just been slide. They've been doing the chacha slide separately. There's not a lot going on here. And then when Sabrina's part comes on, I'm like, Oh, it's to distinguish that they're not really back. Oh got it? Okay,
because you know, sometimes it's tough. Sometimes whoever is directing or producing the movie doesn't really know a lot about dance. So they'll have someone come out, an actor, will audition, do their audition piece, throw a little freestyle in the audition room, and the director goes, that was great, and a real dancer is going that was not great, sir,
that was garbage. So I wasn't really quite sure, and I realized they were setting themselves up to not be a great set up of real trained, real trained dancers. So then I clicked into the reality of what was happening in front of me, and I went, all right, let's let's not be let's calm down. Okay, this isn't your team. They're not dancing for you.
Is it wrong that The one of the only things I was thinking during that scene was they're they're practicing up on the catwalk because in the in the auto mechanics room, because they need to use the car down there.
Who's turning on and off the music down there? It's like somebody has.
To run down, Oh, that's a good turn, and then all.
The way back up to do their dance.
I was stuck on thinking the reality of what happened with that basketball team happens to me at the school I work out, and all the my you know, my friends and coaches that I know throughout Orange County the dance team, and it happens in college too. The dance team is like the lowest on the totem pole of who gets time in the gym and the proper facility to train the teams. Really we are it's basketball comes in,
Volleyball comes in. We've got these little clinics for baby kids that you know are learning basketball, and then we get the time, and then between them it is I was already again, I'm way too in, I'm way too connected to this that I didn't even see a perfect Sabrina C's moment of who was turning on and off that.
That car, the car with the music.
Yeah, some of my friends, their dance team dances in the cafeteria. They push tables aside and that's where they practice, so sad.
Yeah, well, okay, I have to ask them, this is really the first time we're bringing up your whole dance team and stuff like that. Are they cheaty girls fans?
Oh? Man, you know, they are not as much. They think I'm a huge dork, but they do get a kick out of they do. I think I'm a super goob, like I'm such a gub to them, But they get a kick out of other teams When we're at competitions that will recognize me and want to come up and take a picture. They get a kick out of that because to them, I'm just Sabrina. But when someone else who doesn't get to train with me sees me and wants to take a picture, they're like, oh, cool, that's
our coach. Other than that, they continue to treat me like the goop that I am. And I'd prefer that that would be It would be hard to coach a bunch of kids that were starry eyed all the time, right, Okay, yeah, that makes it so I do prefer it. But at the same time, you know, hey, guys, yeah, I've kind of done a couple of cool things here and there, right, But yeah.
Yeah, like playing for eighty thousand people. I think that count.
Yeah, I'm fip by the way. Maybe because I use words like hip, they think i'm a good hip.
Yeah. I hate to tell you this, but you, as I did with my uniform behind me, from my super Pill Freedo uniform, you just picked your superhero name. You are from this day on Super Goob. I hate to tell you, Okay, but you I.
Want to Kate, then I want to Kate.
Just pick your superhero name.
Cool. I'm good with that.
So the audition scene, not even that like before we got to the dance audition part, but the actual audition scene. We have everybody come in and the new coach breaks down what everybody has to do to be on the.
Team, the expectations of the season, and it seems to me that they're pretty normal things that they ask.
Like she says, for instance, you were gonna wear your gym uniform, white sox, and clean shoes, and one of the girl leaves. One of the girls stands up and leaves because she says, I'm not scrubbing my sneakers.
No, no, thank you, that is way too much work for me.
I'm not cleaning my shoes no one can have a failing grade. Two more girls get up and leave them out. That is understandable.
You mean I have to do school at school, I'm done in order to do this. No, that's too much.
No, no jewelry, no dark lipstick, no long painted fingernails. Two more girls leave.
I have never felt more heard in that last one. Will What do you mean?
What does that mean?
Anyone that has coached under me knows that well. Not the lipstick, the long fingernails that they are going to try to dance with is that is a rule? My girls, they don't even put acrolix on by the time I have just harped on them about this, the long nails. What was the other one?
It was long nails, no dark lipstick, no jewelry.
Jewelry is another one. They are rules. You cannot compete with them. That's a rule for cheerleading. So this is where it's hard because my program is connected with the cheer squad. So but we give them the same rules. We're not gonna tell the cheerleaders they can't have long nails and then let the dancers do it. So we keep them accountable together. But the girls cannot handle it. It upsets them every year around homecoming when they want to get their long nails, and I call them Cardi
B nails. I love Cardi B. I love her nails. I just don't want my dancers having them during the season or long while they're supposed to be in uniform. They're all different colors.
What's too long because you have long nails? Are those too long?
Are those?
Okay I'm not dancing and I'm not in unify what.
I'm saying are those? Would those be too long for your dancers?
These would be way too long?
Way too really? Okay?
Okay, so yeah, of course that's you know, hard that the coach gets to wear them and they can't.
But you come in just dark lipstick, jacked out in jewelry with super long nails, like, here's what we're doing.
Girls, got mister t jewelry And yes, and and my nails are you know, looking like I can talk with my nails? Click click click. So anyways, but yes, I have never felt more heard. My dancers, if they ever heard that line, would probably look and I was in the room, would probably look straight at me like this is where you probably got these wolves.
I love that so much okay, so yeah, so yeah, the principal that we've already talked about the h the idea that the principal coming in and kind of saying, we're the basketball team's in here. Though they made him cool about it, where he's like, i'll leave, You're right, this was a mistake.
She's like, no, you need the baskets. Both the teachers are cool. There's almost like a weird sexual tension between the two of them.
But that happened.
Wait a minute, I don't remember this part of this.
A lot of guys in the direction because there's a couple scenes where they have them both from off camera and then come in and face each other and then step back off camera.
Again, so close together. Yeah, yes, there's a lot of personal space being used by both.
I didn't know what they were what they were going for there.
But okay, so a lot of girls leave, but she ends up getting the team that she gets, And now we're going to start. Is she starting the way that you're supposed to start, Sabrina, because I don't any of this. This is where you said the coaching was.
Yes. I love that she starts this team with a run. My girls run a mile before every practice. Okay, it's part of conditioning, it's part of building strength and endurance. Makes sense, It's it's also part of you know, I have a huge push towards treating my dancers as athletes because they are sure and that's part of every school's you know program pretty much is that there's a there's amount of running. Yeah. So I loved that the actual dance practices didn't seem Again, this is when I what
is she doing? Why aren't they drilling? Why aren't you know, to the point where when it comes to the first competition, it's like, well, no, wonder if they look like that. Those practices were not set up correctly, There's no eaven gonna look great. It was kind of just chaos. It just seemed a lot of a lot of chaos, not actual real good conditioning dancing and things like that. I would have loved them to be drilling a lot harder.
I think that that's well, I think the first I think the reason they did that the first time was to show that while she took the job as the coach, dancing was still behind her and she didn't want to have anything to do with it. And that was one of the kind of issues I had with the movie is they they did the you don't seem to really want to be here thing like three different times. Right, It wasn't they. It wasn't They didn't come to her one time and say like, look, you got to teach us.
It was one girl came to her and said, I feel like you could teach us a lot more. Then another girl came to her later and said, I feel like you don't want to be here. Then another girl, So it seemed like the same scene three times before she finally said okay, and three times she said, wow, is it really feel that way? You know, I don't want.
To Oh I didn't see how yeah, okay, And.
I would like to have seen a little bit more like you're saying of, you know, like bring it on, which again, much bigger film and a lot more time
to develop the characters. But you know, they showed them practicing, they showed them learning their routines, they showed them getting better and progressing, whereas this one kind of just went did a competition and then maybe showed a little bit of something, but then just another competition where now they're better, right, and then the last competition where they were a question for you, is the good luck chanting thing at a
team as you're leaving, Is that a real thing? As you pass the other team you chant good luck?
No, not at competitions. That does happen at camps during the summer that the teams go to.
That's dropped that one.
Yes, that's where. That's where that chance that. As far as my experience, I've never been at a at a competition that they do that. But it is something that some some teams do. It's I don't know, it's kind
of cheesy. I feel a lot of teams don't. But in the sense of what I do love about the community that we have within these is of course yes we are all competitive, but there is a big thing that coaches take really a real big, you know, aspect that we try to bring in is making these kids not just competitors but good sportsman's and making sure that you are you are when you pass you know, different teams when you're at competitions, you do wish them good
luck good luck today you guys, you know or if you see it, I love your costume, not not a fake way, but you know, to it's not about hating everyone that's out of competition. It's not about that. It's go out there, do some fierce competition worthy teams out on the floor, but off the floor, be a good person, be a good competitor. So that part is is true true nature.
Yeah, that's great. Well, let's break down what we think is the best scene of the film. Daisy and her boyfriend Chewie, who again probably shouldn't be allowed within five hundred feet of the school, is in the girl's locker room.
Again a hum like, why are you in the girl's locker room, Chewie? It's now who let you in here?
I get what they're doing. It's it's supposed to be Saturday, right, and you know that nobody's supposed to be there. She's got to pick something up for her locker. He's there with his girlfriend.
H If I were to have if I were to walk on campus and be on a on a weekend, which there's a lot of teams that are practicing and stuff over the weekend. Sure a lot of activities are happening on school campuses, and I were to walk into the girl's locker room and one of my girls was in there with her boyfriend, I would have lost my she's I would have freaked out.
So especially if her boyfriend's thirty eight. Yes, that's the that's there. There in lies the other problem. But they they grab her stuff and they look inside the gym. They hear music. They look inside the gym and there is miss Bartlett flash dancing straight up. Like, now, is this this is good dancing? Right? Is it good dancing? I don't know. I don't know.
Sabrina not dance in that era? Nowhere near it? Why was she transported back so far with the with the moves style of dancing.
That's eighties dancing, right, she did not?
Yes, okay, early eighties, early early eighties before her time of dancing. She did not look that old if she was an older teacher and doing that, okay, yeah, why did she get transported into the flash dance? That's no, she looked like a young teacher.
Yeah, yeah, she wasn't particularly hit.
That bothered me so much. This is when I really started to lose going. I don't know if I can watch this anymore. I don't know if this is gonna get better.
Because you know it because and then she finishes the dance and she breaks down crying, which again, good acting beat.
The way she does it is a great acting moment.
I will tell you that some people really work through their emotions and things that are going on through movement, and I am a pure supporter of that.
I think she's also alone that they. I think they've brought it up to where she hasn't danced in a long time. Right, she's kind of ripping off the band aid and by herself. Yes, she's getting it's it's cathartic. She's out there, So I understand that. The then Chewie and his young girlfriend leave the daisy. They leave the gym and daisy and and Chewy says, I think the teacher's hot, which makes sense because they're the same age and and and she's like, no, the dancing.
Why has she never shown us that dancing that she needs to show us that?
Yeah, I would I would have also been pissed, but I also would have been like, you're the one that's teaching needed. I don't want to.
I don't know.
No, if I want to do that, I want to go get one of those old videos that people used to work out to, because I think I'm gonna learn more off that.
Okay, Yeah, that's Jane Fonda.
Okay, you were giving me Jane Fonda, and you're my coach. I'm out, I am out, throwing my pomp poms in. I'm done.
I don't know again, I got it here, Jane.
All the dancing look the same to me.
I'm sorry. I just because I don't know it. I don't know it at all. Again.
I started getting I'm getting hot right now thinking about how I felt during this.
Can's help. So then they go on there, as you might expect in a Disney movie, they go on. She learns to work with her team, The team learns to work with her. They learn to work together. Daisy gets an opportunity to really show her stuff and gets into the school that she's going to want to get into. The team does well. Everybody's happy, good good Disney.
Can I say I loved every time they did those close ups on Camille. Yeah, at the beginning of the of the dances. Man, she's fierce. She those looks.
Yeah, I would, I would.
You're about to get a girl, You're about to get it, like, oh man, she was so hyped. I love that part time they did it.
I agree.
She was like, I'm coming for you. That is exactly what I tell my girls when they've got there for yours like jazz dance, Like look at those judges straight in the eyes and say, you have no idea what you're about to see. I'm about to blow your mind with this dance. You know that Camille, Camille goes right into it.
She's got the cheetah in her. Yeah, let's do our real reviews.
You know.
Every week we do our real reviews, which we take a five star review and a one star review, which are completely and totally real off the internet machine. I think I did the one star last time, so I'm going to leave the one star to you. Hey, I will do the five star. This is from Mom to three girls. As a parent, I always appreciate it when we see something on TV that allows me to start
up a conversation with my kids about these issues. My oldest daughter is a competitive gymnast, and we saw this movie for the first time a week before her first competition. This movie was a great way to help her understand the difference between being quote the best end quote her best. Seeing the characters work hard to reach their goal while still having fun really helped her get in the right frame of mind to compete. Nice nice five star review, nice thing mom sees it with her with their kids.
Love that, and one hundred agree to with that messaging.
Love it, Love that.
All right. Uh, I'm gonna say this is a one star from d Element Element Okay, I'm always thinking. I'm just you know, the user names get a little tricky for me. Anyway, it's a big file of poo. It's well.
I mean, the movie does have some very real time.
Way too hard ch.
Was way too harsh talking. The direction wasn't bad. I mean, no, agreed, way too harsh. It was not No. I I especially going back to that messaging of the five star the end of it, I got over every single thing that I was harping on and you know, feeling different again, trying to disconnect myself. Had a hard time. I think
it's just because I'm in the midst of competition. Yeah, I would say, yeah, But the end messaging both Chewie's messaging with what she did, the decision she made with her boyfriend to just go all right, buddy, kicks, I'm gonna go ahead and progress my life, him realizing he needs to do the same, and then as a coach the best and her best. I could cry right now, thinking, wow, coach, yes, hit it on the mark of what you should be
teaching your kids. It's not about perfection. It's about your perfection. It's about you being better every time you go out there and do it.
Bam, wow, Okay, just nice. Then I'm not even gonna say what I was gonna say about having some montageousues. We're gonna skip right past that and we're gonna go right to our three and a half. Right, you're right, you're right on the We're gonna pretend we're not. Okay, okay, three and a half facts. As everybody knows, that's three real facts and one fact from the internet machine.
That might be real. We might just be spreading a rumor. We can't confirm it.
We have no idea.
Do what I think you started last time? Do you want me to start?
I did you do this time? You go this time?
So the films, this is our first one. The film's catchphrase, the motivating and simple ci sipuete translates to yes I can, and that was the motto of the United farm Workers of America and was coined during the nineteen seventy two to twenty five day fast from activists Caesar Shavez by the union's co founder Dolores Queta.
Wow, all right, little history for you, little history. I love that, Cipe. Let's do it. Yes we can, all right. The second one is actress Elizabeth Song, who played the school's receptionist. Miss Kim actually did attend Julliard and earned a BFA in dance. She'd eventually also appear in a ton of shows, including The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Charmed Wow. Get it Elizabeth Key.
Yeah. Number three is according to the movie's writer, the woman who inspired the film came up with the title kick It Up, which really is just another bring it on. But there was already a kick it Up movie, so they added.
Gotta gotta all right, there was a kick It Up movie? Was there? I do remember.
I'm hoping it's either soccer or football related about the kicker on a.
Football, you know what? I think that was along the you remember the era of bend it like Beckham.
Of course those.
Movies were I Kick It Up? Was that? Okay, I'm gonna have to look it up and no, because I feel like I know that movie exactly because I love soccer. All right, our half truth maybe not truth. Canner cannot deny, We're not sure. Mentioned only by Collider. They said that Gotta Kick It Up was actually cutely referenced in Barbie by the end of the film, what specifically by America Frere's husband both in the movie and real life, Ryan
Peers Williams. They don't give the actual example, but they just say near the end of the film, this might make me watch it again again because I'm gonna need to know exactly when that happens.
Okay, Well, that's all I'm gonna be looking for at this point.
Pretty cool. I know you're just gonna be so distracted. Where's the reference? Where's the reference?
Yeah, the whole time, You're like, I didn't see anything of the movie. I'm just waiting for i Gotta Kick It Up reference. All Right, we're gonna play a little bit here and Okay, So, considering that one of our facts was about the title of the movie, some people that we know have come up with other titles for the film, all right, and we need to pick what the best one is. So the first one is is Sisterhood of the Traveling Dance. We got to rank these, all right.
The second one is Cheetah twirls.
So good, so good.
The third one is might be my favorite bring it Off?
No, no, no, no.
To catch a Predator named Chewy?
And then an actual real question would have been a better name.
Honestly, I would have not been shocked if that was put on the table during the time of creating this film.
That would have been a great name. I think that would have been a great name for the for the movie. But what's what's your favorite one at that list?
Be honest, bring it off? I think I'm going You're gonna.
Go bring it Off. As as funny as to catch a Predator named Chewy is, I don't think that could be a Disney movie. I think Bring It Off wins. Although Sisterhood of the Traveling Dance is also pretty great. Can we we've talked about some of them, can we do some Sabrina sees.
Yeah, this is one that I mean. I was, after again having a hard time to disconnect myself. It all came to this culmination of the end. So I was going to talk to you about how many times the dancers that were supposed to be the better teams were so often timing you could tell that the choreography was those were real. I could tell those were real routines that they somehow got their hands on teams and brought
them in to film something, right. I could tell because their choreography was significantly different than what these actors were doing the main team that we were watching, significantly different because those routines were not really necessarily put together, like
a real palm routine. And then we get to the end, right, They're going to the regionals, right, they get to the regionals, which I don't know what the other competitions they were calling actually were, because regionals are your first competition of the season, and then you go to is regionals. Those are like, you know, your your warm up comps, right, right,
So that was confusing to me. But all of a sudden, they go up next Los Alamidos and I'm like, wait, oh, well, maybe you know there's some kind of significance with the movie bring it on as far as it being modern day high school and I think a high school centennial is where the storyline of this big reference. So I'm going, oh, they must have heard about Los Alamitos. Okay, cool, and then Los Alele the team comes out in there.
I recognize the uniform team, a huge.
That's been around, and they're so good. My girlfriend shout out Jen Ramirez, who has coached them for years and built a phenomenal program. Those are her girls there, and I'm going, I'm instantly text messaging Jen, Jen, what's going on? And she goes, I think you're texting the wrong Jen, Sabrina, I wasn't in a movie. I'd love to be in a movie. What are you talking about. I'm like, Jen, I'm looking at your girls' uniforms and she goes, oh,
that's right. They did do this. So somehow one of her JV coaches was within the industry with choreography, found out about them looking for Palm teams and her girls were in it.
Oh that's cool.
Isn't that cool? So I recognize and then it just and I'm going, and of course theirs was the best team routine that had gone out onto the film, you know, on stage at that point. But what a cool I mean again, I'm trying to disconnect, disconnect and disconnect. Well right back in because my friend's team is in front of me dancing. They look great. They look sharp. They looked what I wish the rest of the teams that competed as well. As you know, the last performance was good.
I feel like they could have gotten a few more dancers that were really technical to make it look like they were closer to the level of the Los Ale dancers that they were competing against, because the end says they got second, fair right, you know, they got second, but I wish it would have been a little bit more comparable of where they were dance wise. But again that's me being a dancer. Not everyone's a dancer. Not everyone understands Like, I didn't know that. Did it look?
Did you see a huge difference in the dancing?
No? I mean again, there was some I was watching it with Sue, who was like, hey, wow, that's they see some of them seem off, But I don't.
I was it couldn't tell, right, Okay, I couldn't. Okay, So that's what I'm saying. Sometimes, you know, again our own experiences. I'm sure people watch Johnny Tsunami and things.
And that's not how you surve for those.
Guys can't board worth crap, you know, or whatever.
So okay, yeah, you watch it differently as a dancer, you do, I get that. Yeah, well, can we rate it now? Yeah, let's rate it. So one out of ten, drumming desktops, sexy dances that end in crying, Julliard dropouts, Dusty pomp poms? What do? What should we do? Dusty pompoms? Horn?
They did dust.
It does? I'm sorry that sounds like a porn name.
The poms they use at the first competition are so wrong in so many ways. Oh, they were so funny.
You're right. You could have done Sabrina Sea. You could have done an hour of Sabrina Seas because you know this so well?
Yes, I mean they had. They were back in the day with what the the you know, nineteen seventies dancing we saw with the pomp poms, with the with the.
Bob they set it up.
They're all covered in like, uh yeah, they're covered in dust.
They're giants.
I say, then we gotta stick with dusty pompoms.
We're gonna stick with dusty It's okay.
One out of ten dusty pomp poms.
What do you give this movie? I, in all honesty to wrap it up, no matter how much. Again I was nitpicking up stuff, sir, I shouldn't have been nitpicking at I really liked the end.
Mission, the end, the message.
Messaging to me brought it so high up in my ranking. I think it's a solid seven point five or seven five.
Okay, you know we're not too far off. I was gonna give it a six point five to a seven. Dusty pom poms. Again I had and this is completely on me, This is not the movie. I just had trouble connecting with this movie because there wasn't a whole lot for a forty seven year old man to watching this movie. And again, that's not how I'm supposed to be watching it, but that's how I have to watch it. So I did not dislike it. The acting was solid, the cast is great.
Thing was great.
Yeah, I thought there was, you know, some obvious issues with the with the some of the spacing of the movie, some of the timing of the movie. I could not and this is like again just stuck in my head the age thing through me. Yeah, but not, you know, not a bad movie. Again, there's movies I like less than others, but I haven't sat through one and been like, this is the worst thing I've ever seen in my mind, not at.
All not at all, even with me getting caught up on you know, technicalities of.
The dance world.
Still a great movie. I mean, we've got a whole Latin cast that is doing wonderful out there.
Yeah.
I just felt girl empowerment of just living your own life, not allowing you want to make decisions for you, you make your own choices and not let yourself get pulled back. All of that to me was great.
Always trust Disney for a good message exactly.
I loved that part. All right.
Well, thanks everybody for joining us for gott to Kick It Up. Uh, and make sure to sign up for our feed because we have a park Opper episode this week with Camille Guatti. Yes, the amazing Daisy from Gotta Kick It Up. I can't wait to talk to her, which is awesome bad ass. Yeah, she totally is. And the next movie we're going to be watching is Mash with my wife Susan. No, I'm kidding, that is not at all what it is. The next movie we're going to be watching just it's just like wait, what just
in time for Saint Patrick's Day. Yes, we're gonna be watching the comedy that a lot of people have asked us to which is the luck of the Irish.
So I'm pretty sure it's on Disney Plus.
You can go over and you can watch it before we kind of talk about the film, or you can let us talk about the film first and you can watch it after.
It's completely up to you. That's the joy of freedom.
So remember to subscribe to our feed and you can follow us at Magical rewind Pod on Instagram. Thank you all so much for joining us, and we will see you next time.
Thank you bye.
They were in middle school