Flashdance

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1:34

Flashdance

R

1983

1h 35m

Drama

Romance

Music

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

33%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals) is a beautiful young woman who works a day job in a steel mill and dances in a bar at night. When Alex discovers that her handsome boss, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), is both interested in her and supportive of her performing career, she renews her efforts to get accepted into a prestigious dance conservatory. Although Alex is frightened of failure, she is cheered on by Nick, as well as by her mentor, former ballet performer Hanna Long (Lilia Skala).

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Critics Consensus

All style and very little substance, Flashdance boasts eye-catching dance sequences -- and benefits from an appealing performance from Jennifer Beals -- but its narrative is flat-footed.

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Richard Corliss

TIME Magazine

Mar 25, 2013

Unlike its grittily romantic predecessors, Flashdance is pure glitz.

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Variety Staff

Variety

May 23, 2008

Virtually plotless, exceedingly thin on characterization and sociologically laughable, pic at least lives up to its title by offering an anthology of extraordinarily flashy dance numbers.

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Trevor Johnston

Time Out

Jan 26, 2006

Depressing to think that this was a huge hit on the back of the Irene Cara hit single, since there's absolutely nothing to it.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Apr 16, 2023

2/4

There's quite an impressive list of achievements for a film best described as, well, dopey.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Jun 19, 2022

5/10

Jennifer Beals can dance like a maniac under an electrifying soundtrack, but I have the impression that her role is not enough to invigorate a narrative that stumbles too much between the camp and the videoclip routine. [Full review in Spanish]

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Justin Brown

Medium Popcorn

Mar 31, 2022

1/5

The fact that this was considered a "hit" boggles my mind. I did not enjoy this. The 80's was a wild time.

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David D

@Darkroaster Oct 28, 2026

Loved this movie! Maybe it’s over the top. Maybe it’s a little dated. The themes always stuck with me, though: believe in yourself, never give up, and don’t be so stubborn that you feel you need to go it alone. Beautiful soundtrack. Fantastic dancing. A lead actor worth believing in!

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Alejandro E

@Alex970 Aug 23, 2026

Why a few people believe that the story of a working-class bar dancer who wants to make her dream come true – by enrolling at a prestigious dance academy – is a 1980s classic is a complete mystery. If anything, its charm lies in the songs that would feature at school leavers’ balls and quinceañeras. Watch it purely out of curiosity.

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Sam A

@Padlock Aug 7, 2026

Keep in mind this film is from the 80s, so here is sexism. However I hugely enjoyed it. Feelgood from start to finish, fantastic soundtrack and dancing, and I'm not even in to music and dancing

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Erik B

@Atma-X Jul 27, 2026

I should have watched this as a younger man...I think I would have extracted a lot of enjoyment (and a little frustration) from it. AEB says: can't go wrong with lots of leotards!

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Mickey B

@Mickerdoo Jul 6, 2026

Beals is likable. But the movie gets lost somewhere between romance and soft core. Not sure about Nouri. Good soundtrack.

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Sofie B

@Sofie338 Jul 4, 2026

A completely pointless and terrible movie. I watched it because it was a classic and short, but it was a total waste of that 1.5 hours of my life. I can't remember any of the names of any of the characters, they were so unconvincing, and the whole premise of an exotic dancer who was also a welder was just supremely stupid. Nothing in this film is good except the title song.

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Adrian Lyne

Director

Jennifer Beals

Alex Owens

Michael Nouri

Nick Hurley

Cynthia Rhodes

Tina Tech

Lilia Skala

Hanna Long

Sunny Johnson

Jeanie Szabo

Flashdance: Official Clip - Alex Doesn't Want Nick's Help

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Flashdance: Official Clip - Who's the Blonde?

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Flashdance: Official Clip - You're Scared

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Flashdance: Official Clip - Alex Gets Comfortable

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Flashdance: Official Clip - Nick Gets Turned Down

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Flashdance: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Alex Owens (Jennifer Beals) is a beautiful young woman who works a day job in a steel mill and dances in a bar at night. When Alex discovers that her handsome boss, Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), is both interested in her and supportive of her performing career, she renews her efforts to get accepted into a prestigious dance conservatory. Although Alex is frightened of failure, she is cheered on by Nick, as well as by her mentor, former ballet performer Hanna Long (Lilia Skala).

Director: Adrian Lyne
Producer: Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer
Screenwriter: Thomas Hedley Jr., Joe Eszterhas
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 15, 1983, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Runtime: 1h 35m
Sound Mix: Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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