Hope Dances

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With daughters ages 7 and 10, finding movies that are appropriate and enjoyable for both of them is difficult to say the least. Hope Dances was an enjoyable and entertaining movie that our whole family enjoyed. The plot was engaging and the story moved along at a satisfying pace. We loved the actors and felt that the relationships between the characters were authentic and engaging. I too liked that there is no bullying or malicious adult figures in the story line. It was a movie that encourages self confidence and perseverance. I would highly recommend this film for girls 7-14 or thereabouts. Hope learns that despite challenging times in life, one can succeed and thrive when focused and passionate.

This movie was so on target for young girls. As a school counselor, I see so many young ladies not reaching for their dreams. This is one movie that encourages them to not stop and to continue to not give up their dreams. I showed this to several young girls, including my granddaughter, and then to my adult friends. They were all encouraged by the film and its family friendliness and the message it presents. I would recommend this movie for families and school counselors.

This movie addresses a situation most kids and early adults deal with in real life. Having to make choices and dealing with the outcome. Trying to put others thoughts and feelings into decisions one has to make. Young girls will associate with the main roles in this movie.Very enjoyable movie to watch with your kids or just the kids by themselves.

While there's a good story here and my 2.5 year old mostly enjoyed it, the script and some performances really let it down. The cinematography is poor in many scenes, and the editing seems pretty amateur (weird jumps, cuts etc). Overdone makeup in almost every scene, even on the young girls, which is totally going to help with body image issues... (#sarcasm). Inane dialogue and block-ish interactions, her parents are like cardboard. Oh, and you'd better like montages, because this movie is basically just montage after montage, with a little dialogue thrown in because 'I guess we needed some dialogue, right'? Which is exactly how much thought was given to the dialogue and character conversations. Really seems more like a school project than a feature film. Can't say I recommend it, at least some of the dancing was good, which is what my 2.5 year old wanted to see anyway. I mean was there really any suspense about whether she would continue playing softball when the movie is titled "Hope Dances" and the only conflict during the movie when she drops softball is her dad pouting for about 2 scenes? They hired a Playgirl model to be a ballet instructor and hang around all those young women?

Initially I bought this movie because I have a daughter who is interested in dancing and hoped it would inspire her to continue with her new passion. It served its purpose and more. We love the movie and my daughter has watched it four times now...haha. Really good story and really good performances! A good coming of age film for all ages, even us older adult kids.

I first watched Hope Dances with my 8 year old daughter, and then again with her 13 year old sister. They both loved it. This movie was a very pleasant surprise. It is beautifully filmed, with many gorgeous shots of coastal California woven into the story. The story is about a young girl working to fulfill her dreams, and the conflict arises as her parents pull her in different directions, tragedy strikes someone dear to her, and she faces rejection along her path. I really appreciated how the movie avoids stereotyping the characters. There is no bullying mean girl, oafish buddy, or evil adult authority figure. When things get difficult for Hope, she learns to seek advice and comfort from a range of trusted advisers including her parents, grandmother, teachers, a mentor, and friends. She needs different kinds of help at different times and wisely seeks a broad base of support to get her through. Characters are shown taking time and making compromises to work through disagreements. The value of hard work is strongly emphasized here. Hope does not possess magical hidden talent (a tired trope in many movies meant to inspire), but puts in the work to distinguish herself from the many other talented girls she encounters. I would highly recommend this movie for children of any age, but especially for girls from 8-14.

Hope Dances is a sweet and beautifully shot film about the emotions of an adolescent girl growing up with a dream and trying to navigate her way with many pressures. The movie has a big heart and lets us know that by going inside we can find the answers to our passions and purpose. We see that parents can have conflicts too and may confuse their own dreams with those of their children. Many of the scenes are breathtakingly beautiful as we get a glimpse into the scenic backdrop of the Santa Cruz, California area. It is refreshing to see movie for kids with a positive message.