All That Jazz

At Sonny's Side of the Street, the dancers stay on the first and second floors. Only the real "hoofers" are allowed up on the third level.

So when Max Washington (Gregory Hines) finally gets out of Sing-Sing, the New York prison, he doesn't stop long on the second floor of the old dance studio. Max is Sonny's son--and he's wearing his tap shoes again.

At least that's what the hoofers hope. But the group of old tap dancing pros who sit on the third floor of Sonny's dreaming of the days before rock'n roll can't be sure whether a worn pair of shoes, an old flame and good music will be enough to convince Max to live an honest life.

Tap

Directed by Nick Castle

Tri-Star Pictures, Inc.

At the USA Charles

A not-too-original story about one man's struggle between money and happiness, Tap is, nonetheless, one of the best dancing movies to come out in years. The brilliant footwork of Hines and Sammy Davis, Jr.(Mo), who stars as a hoofer dedicated to convincing Max to try and combine modern music with old-fashioned tap dancing, rejuvenate a well-worn plot.

Mo, his daughter Amy (Suzzanne Douglas), who stars as Max's one-time dancing partner and lover, and their hoofing cohorts represent one side of Max's struggle. On the other side, in a posh penthouse apartment is Nicky (Terrence McNally), Max's former partner in crime, who landed him in jail.

With the exception of Davis, his sidekick Sandman, who constantly interjects his dour-faced humor into the action, and Hines, the actors in Tap are not consistently believable. It is clear that most of them were chosen for their dancing skill and not for their dramatic talent.

As the beautiful Amy, Douglas gives an excellent dance performance, but her acting is not convincing. The plot allows her to pull Max toward a career in dancing despite the risk of financial insecurity. Her ability to convey the emotion involved, however, is lacking.

For the most part, writer and director Nick Castle allows the scenes to be subverted to the dance, placing less emphasis on the legitimacy of the characters' reactions to events than on when the music should start.

As a result, when Max and Nicky actually stop dancing to debate the merits of the life of crime, which promises cash but little happiness, the scene is awkward. Hines is not a bad actor, but his forte is obviously dancing, and he seems uncomfortable standing still.

When Hines does start dancing, however, it is clear that even a dry plot can't kill the movie. The choreography is a brilliant mix of 1930s jazz tap and a more modern variation of the funk dancing which made Hines famous. The musical score is a mix of traditional jazz, big band songs and modern funk, created to accommodate the footwork.

In one of the best scenes in Tap, Max leads an entire crowd from a Times Square bar into the street to show them how his father "stole his steps from the sounds he heard on the streets of New York City."

Amid the honking horns, clattering sheets of metal covering potholes and crashing blows of construction workers fixing the streets, Hines leads the group into a frenetic mix of funk and jazz tap, taking his rhythm from the sounds around him.

Scenes like this one and the "challenge" dance between Hines and the old men who still live at Sonny's Side of the Street turn Tap into a dance show reminiscent of an old Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire film.

If you are looking for a subtle plot or Academy Award-winning acting, don't go see Tap; the movie is not a showcase for drama. If you like loud music and good tap dancing, however, then Tap is a film you will enjoy.