Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Work It’ on Netflix, A Teen Dance Rom-Com With All The Right Moves

There’s a very specific formula for creating a teen dance rom-com, and the newest one, Work It on Netflix, is sure to follow it to a T. When high school senior Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) starts her own dance team because she thinks it’s the key to getting into her dream college, she’s got to learn how to dance before the big competition, and learn how to not only survive falling on her butt, but falling for her choreographer as well. 

WORK IT: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Sabrina Carpenter stars as Quinn, a high school overachiever who can only focus on getting into Duke, when she’s not busy multitasking between all her school work and extracurriculars. But during an interview with the admissions rep (the brilliant and wonderful Michelle Buteau), Quinn lies and says she’s part of the school’s famous dance team — you know, the one that just fired her from running their light show? Only the rep is impressed — and nearly guarantees that seeing Quinn dance in the big upcoming competition could be her key to getting into the school.

So Quinn takes matters into her own hands, recruiting a tag rag bunch of underrated dancers to start her own group, including bestie Jas (Liza Koshy). She also sets out on a mission to get super dancer Jake Taylor (Jordan Fisher) to serve as the group’s choreographer — and soon, Quinn’s love interest. Keiynan Lonsdale also stars as the rival dance team’s star performer, in a film written by Alison Peck and directed by Laura Terruso.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Work It has lovingly watched and learned from the classic teen dance rom-coms that have come before it. Step Up, Save The Last Dance, Bring It On, Another Cinderella Story: these movies have all paved the way for Work It to exist and the Netflix movie does not throw away its shot to honor their legacy.

Performance Worth Watching: What if I told you…everyone is great! Carpenter, who was clearly one of the most talented in the Girl Meets World cast, has kept busy in movies such as Tall Girl and The Hate U Give, but she really shines here. She’s so easily a leading lady and rightfully earns comparisons to the likes of Cameron Diaz or Kate Hudson; she’s an actress that knows how to sell moments that are romantic and silly and where she has to pretend she’s a really crappy dancer. She’s effortlessly likable and goofy and relatable and this is surely not the last time we’ll see her carry a movie (Psst: her music is great too!).

Jordan Fisher got a lot of buzz for his role in this year’s To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, but he’s a much better romantic interest in this movie. He’s charming and has great chemistry with Carpenter and his dance moves ain’t bad either. Keiynan Lonsdale, best known for his role on The Flash, is also a ton of fun to watch here, as is YouTube star Liza Koshy. And again, because it can’t be said enough, Michelle Buteau remains the best.

Memorable Dialogue: “You don’t have to be in control all the time. You’re not studying for a midterm, all right? You can’t think your way through this. Quinn, you gotta…let your body drive you,” Jake tells her in a speech before they dance all romantically (see below!). It’s instantly one of those iconic speeches a leading man delivers that is both offensively obvious and yet still so swoon-worthy.

Single Best Shot: All teen dance movies require that moment where they realize their bodies and minds (and hearts!) might be in sync at that very moment, and this sequence between Quinn and Jake does that expertly as it will have your heart beating a little faster and you’re sure to feel a little sweaty and smiley at the same time.

Sex and Skin: Perhaps one of the most admirable elements of this film is the way it captures the perfect amount of teen horniness. It doesn’t shy away from acknowledging that yes, great dancing can be hot, and when Jas can’t help but daydream about a mattress salesman and his perfect pecs, it makes for a funny and appropriately sexy moment. But other than a few passionate kisses and oh yes you can feel the sexual tension when necessary, this movie never goes too overboard.

Our Take: The first thing you should know about this movie is that it’s about 90 minutes long, AS IT SHOULD BE. (*cough* Like Kissing Booth 2 should have been! *cough*) And within those 90 minutes, the film hits all the beats it needs to in order to be uplifting and fun and still engaging. Again, this is a pretty stellar cast and group of actors and dancers that prove to be multitalented at every turn. They honor the dance genre by providing scenes where the students burst into an impromptu dance-off at school, where they dance with books, where they show their growth during the mandatory dance montage. It’s nearly impossible to find faults with this movie, really. It’s not trying to do anything different or shocking, it’s just purely pleasant and should be appreciated for that alone. The dance scenes are entertaining, the drama is never too heavy, the relationships are all believable and it never takes itself too seriously. As a huge fan of this genre, I simply have no complaints except the standard wishing I could jump into the scenes and dance along with them.

Our Call: STREAM IT. If you’re looking for a little lighthearted weekend escape, this is the perfect movie for that. It will make you feel happy, make you smile, and make you want to dance a little.

Where to stream Work It