Great story, good movie
595480
Really liked the story line, the development of the plot, and the humor built within. Great movie for the whole family.
2204692
Good movie, good comedy, good story.  This movie launched the careers of many top line celebrities.  Need more like this.
1702160
Sometimes a really good story comes along that is made into a movie by whatever means those things come about.  This one is one of those.  It is history, it is factual, it is well presented, and it is well acted by all.  I really enjoyed it.  I hope our young people can watch it and see that it represnets a time period they did not witness but only heard about.  Its only nomination for an Oscar was for its music.  What a shame, I would put it in the category "Best Picture".  Sometimes I do not understand Hollywood and the image it seems to want to portay.
4248969
Interesting story with good actors.  Very good movie.
3437435
sound, picture, and all activities are good.  The story is incredible, and plan of making this movie is thoutghful. excellent
3137273
This is yet another great story by studio Ghibli. I watched it with my daughters. They loved the references to the cat returns, but it is a good story in its own right. It is a great story about following your dreams, and much better than the flashier, flicker screen mentality of holywood. There is a sense of setting, place, and character development, and a plot that is interesting and rich. Enjoy this movie with your family if you liked Spirited Away, Totoro, and The Cat Returns.
1399430
Great movie, lots of action and a well told story. If you have the chance, check out the book as well.
1100445
It was so good to see this movie again, such a good story line. I had forgotten the twist at the end. It will remain a classic for sure.
4211110
I don't know if anyone will actually read this considering how old the film is, but this was such a great movie that I wanted to encourage anyone else who happens to come upon it.

I'm not really a fan of ballet... the only reason I found this movie in the first place is because I was looking up Mandy Moore videos and saw her 'I Wanna Be With You' song was featured for Center Stage, and after reading some other reviews, I thought I'd give it a shot.  I'm always up for inspirational movies with a good ending (which, without spoiling anything, this movie has a great ending).  If you're not into ballet, if you're totally disgusted by it, think it's a sissy's activity, then you probably won't like this movie at all.  But if you don't really mind it and you're open to it, and you want a good story with a happy ending, then I recommend this.

Center Stage is a pretty standard story - children enrolling in a school geared toward a specific talent, and only a handful will actually be able to succeed in the end.  While the story is mostly about the three main girls, I was interested in the stories and contributions of everyone as it went on.  I expected in a school mixed with new and veteran, intermediate and pro dancers competing for spots that there would be cliques, bullying, petty fights - lots of annoying, spiteful drama - but thankfully there was really none of that in the film.

I think what I loved most about Center Stage was the way the characters change or the way you see them differently as it goes on.  Within the first half hour, you'll probably think you know exactly what each one of them will do, and if you're like me, you might end up disliking most of them.  But you'll be very surprised by the end when you actually wind up liking and cheering for all of them.

The acting was pretty good and enjoyable.  Most of it was realistic, nothing quite too over the top or unbelievable.  A character might take a totally different shift, but it's actually nice to see them growing up.  There's some romance in the story, not too much that it overshadows everything else, but enough.

So the ballet... like I said, I'm not a ballet fan, I was not particularly interested in a couple of the scenes, but you have to give credit where it's due.  Watching the dancers, as someone who does not do ballet, was  awe inspiring for me at times.  The dedication and grace of ballet itself, and not knowing if the scene was going to be end up being about a success or a flop for one of the characters (obviously it's not a real live performance, but you still never really know where the scene/story is going until it's over) made it very interesting to watch.

My only comment about the packaging itself is that the current picture on Amazon shows it in a box with a pink border.  Mine does not have that, just the same picture of the characters without any border, with a silver trim on top that says Special Edition, and a black case.  Just putting that out there for anyone who didn't want a pink case on their shelves (although I can't guarantee there isn't another version that does have a pink case).

In terms of extras, there were a couple of deleted scenes, a couple of extended dance scenes, some commentaries, and couple of other extras I didn't really care about, and the 'I Wanna Be With You' music video.

Like I said before, if you want an inspirational movie of kids trying to find their place in the world, who grow up and make their own decisions and find out they can enjoy life, and you don't hate ballet, I would definitely recommend Center Stage.
1493096
Has all the elements of a great story in this movie.  There is a lot of good with just enough bad to make the movie enjoyable to watch.
1250253
Really enjoyed the movie. There was an excellent message
258654
The movie held my interest from start to finish. Good story.
131994
I really enjoyed the film. I am usually a fairly tough critic when it comes to Christian cinema (cinema in general), but I am more critical with Christian cinema because the message is so crucial. Overall the movie is well done, the overall acting is good, there are some rough patches, i.e. some music issues and a few weirdly delivered lines (not unlike many other movies), but the story is layered and has many beautiful subtle moments that resonate. This movie takes some risks with the story telling and content, but it is not unnecessary or graphic which is a relief. I also like that it is not completely predictable. There is a tension that is there, and that is part of what makes it a good story.
3336935
Thought this was a great movie!  Good story and well done.  Deviated from the book in a couple of ways, but not too bad.  (Book is always better though, if you have to choose!)
69218
I watched this movie on TV several years ago, and loved it then. I watched it again today  and felt compelled to write a review on it because it's such a great story . I almost didn't watch it the first time because of the name. I don't usually go in for ghost stories. This however was much more than that. It was a story of a man's deep grieving for his dead mother and his painful past with his withdrawn and even cruel father.  The psychological tricks that his mind played on him when he tried to hold down the grief that was consuming him, and the very believable help he receives from a failing radio talk show psychiatrist made for a powerful movie.

The story starts with a man who is obviously on a fast track to alcoholism and divorce, whose best friend and his wife are both telling him he needs to get help. You don't really know why, except that they mention he's just not right.  Then you find out he says he found his dead mother's wedding rings on the sink ... Although she was buried wearing them. There are a lot of scenes where things seem to be appearing and disappearing, and mysterious female figures seem to appear and disappear... which I suppose is the ghost part of it.  At first it was a little disconcerting because I didn't understand, but as the story progressed, you understood that he was being overwhelmed by trying to hold it together, and his mind was driving him to face his feeling...or else fall further into depression and maybe insanity.

Fortunately, he is drawn into calling a talk show psychiatrist, who through a great job of counseling, gets him to open up about the loss of his mother, and the pain of his childhood and a nearly abusive father.  Lol.  When I read that back, it certainly didn't sound like anything I want to watch. Fortunately, there was plenty of comic relief to lead you along this enlightening path with the very likable man.

The movie is like being able to sit in on a counseling session of someone while enjoying the voyeurism of seeing his wife, his father, and numerous strangers listening in on the session.

I laughed many times in this movie, and cried just about as many. Believe me, this is no action thriller, or lame ghost story. Instead it's an hour long trip into the human psyche, with some Hollywood theatrics thrown in.

All in all, I found it to be thoroughly enjoyable.  Apparently the writer of the script and the lead actor in this movie is a talk show host on some Los Angeles radio show. Being from Florida, I've never heard of him, but I would love to watch any other movie he decided to undertake.  If you enjoy digging into psycological issues, or if you are struggling with the loss of a loved one, I think you'll love this movie. Maybe not for everybody, but for me it's a 10 out of 10!
4563182
The story was great. I thought some of the acting was bad, but once you get to the end of the movie, you'll understand that it's not that at all. It's so much more.
932695
Good, good story with Clint Eastwood at his very best! Everyone should see this one, except young children. I think so many people can relate to this one. Good cast, but It is definintly Eastwood's picture.