Feel the Beat

Movie review by Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media
Feel the Beat Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 10+

Dancer learns kindness from her students; mild language.

NR 2020 107 minutes
Rate movie

Parents say

age 11+

Based on 15 reviews

Kids say

age 9+

Based on 57 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate movie

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Feel the Beat will appeal largely to young dancers. Sofia Carson from the Descendants movies stars as April, a selfish dance instructor who learns kindness and patience from her misfit students as she prepares them for a competition. Language is infrequent but includes "ass," "butt," "suck," "wiener," and "crap." "S--t" appears in a song lyric (easily missed unless you're using captions). Dance teams cheat by putting a 10-year-old in an 8-year-old-only category. A woman falls off a stage, and viewers later learn she broke her leg and wrist. Dance routines performed by young girls are sexualized; they twerk while wearing Vegas-inspired outfits.

Community Reviews

tank abbott
tank abbott Adult
May 24, 2022
age 13+

Not for young innocent minds

Whoever rated this G is a pervert. They shouldn't have swearing, bleeped out or otherwise in a G movie. But the sexuality is beyond tolerable for a young audience. Especially the coach wearing a stripper devil costume and making all the girls bow down to her on stage as she steps over them and grabs at them aggressively. 😡 My 9 year old daughter picked this for a movie night at home and I said, well it's rated G and the Netflix trailer showed nothing bad about it, so sure! Boy was I mistaken. Netflix has a bad habit of including a lot of sex and gender distortion into their programming recommend for kids. This isn't the first time either.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
ceebee5
ceebee5 Adult
December 31, 2021
age 17+

Inappropriate dancing by children

I am surprised and disappointed that this movie was allowed to be featured because of the sexual-nature of the dance moves by children in a scene. It was described as a comedy, but it felt very serious. The dance instructor had a very negative and unkind attitude in general during a lot of the first half, or so, of the movie. I do not recommend the movie mostly for the first reason, but the stressful undertones were unpleasant and didn't fit the description it was given.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
See all 15 parent reviews

What's the Story?

April (Sofia Carson) has been dancing since she was a kid back in Wisconsin. As FEEL THE BEAT begins, the now 20-something aspiring dance professional faces eviction from her New York City apartment. Late for an audition she hopes will lead to a job and enough money to pay the rent, she rushes through the rain and steals a cab from an appalled woman. That same woman, a producer, arrives at the audition late, furious over the cab incident, and assures April that she'll never work in this town again. April, unapologetic but broke, heads home to small-town Wisconsin where her first dance teacher, the warm and welcoming Barb (Donna Lynne Champlin), suggests April teach a class. April turns up her nose at the offer until she learns the kids are heading to a competition being judged by a powerful New York producer who will see April during a teacher-led number on the program. April is critical, dismissive, and impatient with the kids, seemingly oblivious to the way she's hurting and discouraging them. She also hurt her ex-boyfriend Nick (Wolfgang Novogratz), who she dismissed by text before she left town to seek fame and fortune in New York. Slowly, working with the kids and receiving an infusion of small-town neighborliness grounds April and forces her to connect with people.

Is It Any Good?

This movie takes a while to get going, but once it does, it's at turns touching, sweet, funny, and fun. Feel the Beat works especially well as a movie that parents can enjoy with kids. Director Elissa Down struggles in the early scenes, relying on cliches, improbabilities, and oversimplifications to establish the grumpy, self absorbed character who leaves friends and family behind to pursue her ambition. But once April starts to learn to make room for others in her life, the movie overcomes its initial shortcomings and proceeds to a finale showcasing likable characters, including several kids, played by Lydia Jewett, Eva Hauge, and Justin Caruso Allen, who teach a clueless adult what life is all about. Donna Lynne Champlin is endearing as the understanding Barb and Wolfgang Novogratz is appealing as the typecast hunk.

A few nice touches add to the likability. The group uses sign language so a deaf dance student feels included. A little boy quietly hanging out during dance class turns out to be a terrific dancer. Barb makes casseroles for anyone in town going through a challenge. All of this adds up to an overall foundation of goodness that infects even the most resistant cynic. Watch the closing credits so you don't miss a street party showing off the hidden skills of the movie's supposedly non-dancing characters. Note that at the head of the traffic jam caused by all the dancing, there is someone in the first blocked cab whose presence underscores April's progress.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how everyone can overcome challenges. How does Feel the Beat show the difference between enjoying activities you love to do and enjoying activities for which you have talent?

  • Even if you're not great at something, why is it fun to work hard enough to see improvement? How does the movie illustrate this?

  • Teachers often say they learn as much from their students as the students learn from them. What do you think April learns from her students?

  • What other dance movies have you seen? How does this one compare?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate