Maybe it just wasn’t for me
So… Where to start…
I didn’t enjoy this movie. It’s not even strong enough to express what I feel about it. Part of it may be because the expectations given by the trailer were not met. But, I can also say that I still wouldn’t have enjoyed this movie even if the trailer had been honest about what this movie is about.
Before I start pointing out what I disliked about 10Dance, I just want to say that the fact that I didn’t liked it, doesn’t mean you won’t. If you want to watch it, give it a try. Also, English is not my first language so I apologise in advance for any mistakes you may find.
So, let’s start. First, with the positive, because yes, I did found some positive during the two hours I spent watching this or I wouldn’t have been able to finish it.
- The actors did a phenomenal job with the dancing. It was truly impressive. I have no idea how they managed to learn all this but really, they were extremely good.
- The two female characters were the best, I loved them. I wish we had seen them more and that they were the main characters. Justice for the girls!!!!
- I guess, the lights? The movie was pretty to look at, which is why everyone is praising the cinematography. But more on this in the negative points.
- They tried to make a good movie so I’ll give them that. One star for trying, I guess. But, for me, they failed. This was a bad movie.
Which leads us to what I disliked about this two hours to the point that I wish I could erase it from my memory. To give you an idea, I took notes while watching. And when I take notes, it’s usually not good.
- The two main characters. I disliked them from the start, gave them the benefit of the doubt, and they didn’t change. Well… not exactly. The Latin dancer became less self centered, kind of obsessed with the other guy and got played so I kind of felt bad for him at the end. But the ballroom dancer! Please. What did anyone find charming about this guy? Please tell me, I’m curious. He was arrogant, a player and sexist!
- The blatant sexism in the entirety of this movie was the first thing that made it painful for me to watch. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong until the twenty (?) minutes mark I think, when they start training all together. The Latin dancers arrive and the first thing the other guy say is: « Put your partner in a skirt. » Excuse me? He didn’t even look at her, didn’t say it to her, he just… ignored her. He also talks to his own partner twice in the two hours. Yes, I counted. The two times during a flashback. The first time, we don’t even see her, the second time he berates her while she’s going through a ptsd episode. A great guy as you can see. The rest of the movie, this poor woman is barely considered. He throws a glance at her a few times I think but yeah… He, obviously, never talks to the woman Latin dancer. It’s not only about how the male characters treat the female characters, it’s about how the movie treats them. 10Dance does not pass the Bechdel test (which is not an indicator about the feminist dimension of a movie but gives us an indication of the way they treated the female characters). All of the dialogue between the two women is about the guys, how much they actually admire each other, and apologising for the rude behaviour of their partner. Great character building! (This is sarcasm.) All of the time, the achievements during the dance competitions is the achievement of the guy. « I know you can go farther! » she says when she’s competing at such a high level and part of the winning couple of most competitions. I could go on and on about this but please, consider this while you watch (or rewatch) this movie. It’s bad.
- How they shot the movie. Most of the frames are boring, they always frame the characters and their surroundings in the same way. No experimentations, no trying to express what the characters are going through with the image, which is what a movie is supposed to do. But with a Netflix movie, why am I surprised? When they actually do something, like filming through curtains or with the reflections, it looks empty, like there’s no thought behind it whatsoever except making a pretty image.
- In the same category, the slow motion and freeze frames. That’s it. I hated it.
- Did you ever heard of the « show, don’t tell » rule? This movie does not follow it. There’s always someone here to explain what’s happening, how the character is feeling, why it’s so sad and tragic and you need to like this character because look what he went through. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works.
- The dramatic music. I don’t care how dramatic you make it sound, I already don’t like the characters. You can’t force me to feel sad.
- It comes a little late in all this but: we were kind of promised a romance movie? There’s no romance. I would even go farther and say there was no (romantic) chemistry. I apologise to anyone who disagrees but I felt nothing. No tension, no build up, no nothing except some hatred and jealousy at the beginning. And no, it’s not because two characters joke that one of the guys is in love with the other that it’s going to convince me he is. They kissed twice I think and it felt out of the blue. And the parallel between dancing and kissing each other was made so obvious it made me uncomfortable.
- Last but not least. When someone is cosplaying a dead fish on your bed, maybe it’s a sign to stop kissing them.
If you came this far, thank you. And sorry to those who really loved the movie, maybe it just wasn’t for me. In conclusion, if you want to see some good dancing, maybe you’ll like this. If you want a romance, you’ll be disappointed. But really, in 2025, almost 2026, women on screen should not be treated as props by the male characters and the movie. Please, be aware of what you watch.
I didn’t enjoy this movie. It’s not even strong enough to express what I feel about it. Part of it may be because the expectations given by the trailer were not met. But, I can also say that I still wouldn’t have enjoyed this movie even if the trailer had been honest about what this movie is about.
Before I start pointing out what I disliked about 10Dance, I just want to say that the fact that I didn’t liked it, doesn’t mean you won’t. If you want to watch it, give it a try. Also, English is not my first language so I apologise in advance for any mistakes you may find.
So, let’s start. First, with the positive, because yes, I did found some positive during the two hours I spent watching this or I wouldn’t have been able to finish it.
- The actors did a phenomenal job with the dancing. It was truly impressive. I have no idea how they managed to learn all this but really, they were extremely good.
- The two female characters were the best, I loved them. I wish we had seen them more and that they were the main characters. Justice for the girls!!!!
- I guess, the lights? The movie was pretty to look at, which is why everyone is praising the cinematography. But more on this in the negative points.
- They tried to make a good movie so I’ll give them that. One star for trying, I guess. But, for me, they failed. This was a bad movie.
Which leads us to what I disliked about this two hours to the point that I wish I could erase it from my memory. To give you an idea, I took notes while watching. And when I take notes, it’s usually not good.
- The two main characters. I disliked them from the start, gave them the benefit of the doubt, and they didn’t change. Well… not exactly. The Latin dancer became less self centered, kind of obsessed with the other guy and got played so I kind of felt bad for him at the end. But the ballroom dancer! Please. What did anyone find charming about this guy? Please tell me, I’m curious. He was arrogant, a player and sexist!
- The blatant sexism in the entirety of this movie was the first thing that made it painful for me to watch. I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong until the twenty (?) minutes mark I think, when they start training all together. The Latin dancers arrive and the first thing the other guy say is: « Put your partner in a skirt. » Excuse me? He didn’t even look at her, didn’t say it to her, he just… ignored her. He also talks to his own partner twice in the two hours. Yes, I counted. The two times during a flashback. The first time, we don’t even see her, the second time he berates her while she’s going through a ptsd episode. A great guy as you can see. The rest of the movie, this poor woman is barely considered. He throws a glance at her a few times I think but yeah… He, obviously, never talks to the woman Latin dancer. It’s not only about how the male characters treat the female characters, it’s about how the movie treats them. 10Dance does not pass the Bechdel test (which is not an indicator about the feminist dimension of a movie but gives us an indication of the way they treated the female characters). All of the dialogue between the two women is about the guys, how much they actually admire each other, and apologising for the rude behaviour of their partner. Great character building! (This is sarcasm.) All of the time, the achievements during the dance competitions is the achievement of the guy. « I know you can go farther! » she says when she’s competing at such a high level and part of the winning couple of most competitions. I could go on and on about this but please, consider this while you watch (or rewatch) this movie. It’s bad.
- How they shot the movie. Most of the frames are boring, they always frame the characters and their surroundings in the same way. No experimentations, no trying to express what the characters are going through with the image, which is what a movie is supposed to do. But with a Netflix movie, why am I surprised? When they actually do something, like filming through curtains or with the reflections, it looks empty, like there’s no thought behind it whatsoever except making a pretty image.
- In the same category, the slow motion and freeze frames. That’s it. I hated it.
- Did you ever heard of the « show, don’t tell » rule? This movie does not follow it. There’s always someone here to explain what’s happening, how the character is feeling, why it’s so sad and tragic and you need to like this character because look what he went through. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works.
- The dramatic music. I don’t care how dramatic you make it sound, I already don’t like the characters. You can’t force me to feel sad.
- It comes a little late in all this but: we were kind of promised a romance movie? There’s no romance. I would even go farther and say there was no (romantic) chemistry. I apologise to anyone who disagrees but I felt nothing. No tension, no build up, no nothing except some hatred and jealousy at the beginning. And no, it’s not because two characters joke that one of the guys is in love with the other that it’s going to convince me he is. They kissed twice I think and it felt out of the blue. And the parallel between dancing and kissing each other was made so obvious it made me uncomfortable.
- Last but not least. When someone is cosplaying a dead fish on your bed, maybe it’s a sign to stop kissing them.
If you came this far, thank you. And sorry to those who really loved the movie, maybe it just wasn’t for me. In conclusion, if you want to see some good dancing, maybe you’ll like this. If you want a romance, you’ll be disappointed. But really, in 2025, almost 2026, women on screen should not be treated as props by the male characters and the movie. Please, be aware of what you watch.
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