It's all up there on the screen in this impassioned, exhilarating documentary. They want to dance for you. It's what they did for love.
Every Little Step (2009)
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Reviews Counted:27
Fresh:25
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Fascinating and insightful, Every Little Step is a thoroughly engrossing behind the scenes look at Broadway performers.
Theatrical Release:Apr 17, 2009 Limited
Box Office: $1,528,106
Synopsis: After raking in awards at several major film festivals, EVERY LITTLE STEP reaches movie audiences and Broadway fans alike. A film about a musical that is itself about the casting of a musical, the... After raking in awards at several major film festivals, EVERY LITTLE STEP reaches movie audiences and Broadway fans alike. A film about a musical that is itself about the casting of a musical, the documentary takes fans inside the makings of A CHORUS LINE. Much of it focuses on the casting process for the musical’s 2005 revival, though it also takes fans through the show’s many incarnations and to its original inspiration. Back in 1974, choreographer Michael Bennett saw the potential for a spectacular show in the recorded late-night conversations of several stage performers. One year--and a lot of labor--later, A CHORUS LINE premiered to high acclaim, introducing the world to what would turn out to be a timeless work. EVERY LITTLE STEP takes viewers through the next few decades with rare footage and fresh interviews, showing the show’s history unfold in a world filled with war, anxiety, and political change. As casting is done is for the 2005 revival, audiences see how much the times have changed in the light of media outlets like MySpace and AMERICAN IDOL. As viewers get to know the actors behind the production, the realms of theater and reality blur. With its underdog heroes and self-reflexive narrative, A CHORUS LINE is understandably appealing to today’s reality-show audiences. The film is the joint effort of directors James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, whose backgrounds as theatre producers, filmmakers, and documentarians combine well to create a film that manages to be not only educational but as entertaining as its subject. [More]
Director: James D. Stern, Adam Del Deo
Director: James D. Stern, Adam Del Deo
Producer: James D. Stern, Adam Del Deo
Composer: Jane Antonia Cornish
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
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Reviews for Every Little Step
You can't judge A Chorus Line by its film version; it's one of the lousiest movie musicals ever. But you can assess the stage original's influence by the wonderful new documentary Every Little Step.
Fans of choreographer Michael Bennett's blockbuster, which broke new ground when it opened in 1975, will find much to love here.
They want the recognition we all want, and the film persuades you that almost every one of them deserves it.
Some of the documentary's best moments capture the expressions of Avian and his assistants as they are caught unawares by an unexpectedly powerful audition.
It instills an appreciation for the tremendous amount of work and passion that the performers put into their craft.
The exuberant documentary Every Little Step revisits the genesis of the landmark show about the gestation and delivery of a Broadway musical.
Their history of the show, studded with clips from Bennett's original audiotapes, adds a fascinating subtext: in chronicling Broadway, A Chorus Line changed it forever.
We should be kneeling on concrete to remind ourselves what dues these artists pay.
The film is as much about the creation of the original show back in 1975 and the genius of the late Michael Bennett, who masterminded it, as it is about the newer version.
I know what to expect. I am going to see some dancers make it, some not make it, and that’s what it is.
Life imitates art imitating life in James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo’s heartfelt doc, Every Little Step, tracking the audition process of director Bob Avian’s 2006 Broadway revival of A Chorus Line.
Like show-business culture itself, A Chorus Line traffics in both cloying sentimentality and Darwinian ruthlessness, qualities that James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo's highly addictive behind-the-scenes documentary Every Little Step captures in abundance.
Every Little Step shows only this: It hurts to flunk an audition, and it's nice to get hired. Everything it has to say about Broadway was said better in Bob Fosse's movie All That Jazz -- in its opening five minutes.
Latest News for Every Little Step
November 19, 2009:
Academy Releases Documentary Shortlist ![]()
Awards season is just around the corner, and to prove it, the Academy just released its list of the 15 films still vying for a Documentary Feature Oscar. More...
April 16, 2009:
Critics Consensus: 17 Again Is Sweet And Poignant
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