Every Little Step (2009)

Overrated and overhyped

Fresh and Exciting

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

While "Every Little Step" is hardly cinema verite, it certainly seems to be a credible effort to document the Broadway process--from the first cattle call audition to the final call-back 8 months later. In between the filmmaker interviews old players from "A Chorus Line"'s impressive legacy and culls bits from the original tape archives that established the framework of the '75 classic as well as the Broadway revival.Whenever innocence and passion are combined, something sublime occurs. I suppose that is why I wept through much of "Every Little Step". I was definitely rooting for several performers, and remember how (in a former life)disappointing it can be when you're the last to be cut or the first to be forgotten.

I share lor_'s dismay at the distortions and omissions in "Every Little Step". To ignore the contributions of James Kirkwood, Ed Kleban and all the actors in the original cast is appalling. McKechnie and Lee, the only two original cast members, have managed to turn "A Chorus Line" into a positive, but it took the other cast members years of negotiation and the threat of litigation to receive more than the pittance they received from their stories. As an aside, is any movie viewer so naive as to believe that Charlotte D'Amboise just happened to have the camera film her actual casting moment? We ain't that dumb. Disappointing on so many levels.

Greetings again from the darkness. A Chorus Line is a mainstay and iconic piece of Broadway history. Now we get a documentary on the behind the scenes process of auditioning for a revival of a musical about the process of auditioning for a musical stage production. Luckily, Michael Douglas is not involved in this one. Sadly, Kirkwood and Kleban seemed to be overlooked while the genius of Michael Bennett is the focus. His original co-choreographer Bob Avian is directing the revival.While American TV viewers have been brainwashed into believing American Idol and Dancing with the Stars are somehow what show business is all about, directors Adam Del Deo and James D Stern show us what the world of a singer/dancer/actor is truly like. The pressure and stress of having to compete for sometimes only a few seconds against hundreds of other talented people ... sometimes while rushing to one's "real" job are just excruciating. These people are trying to realize dreams and relentless hard work for their entire lives and so few actually "make it".This documentary approach is centered on the famous audio recordings that Michael Bennett held with the initial group back in the early 70's. Marvin Hamlisch recalls going through those transcripts and creating the songs that would become Broadway staples. Mr. Hamlisch also brings us insight into the impact that actress Marsha Mason had on the success of the play after she attended (with her husband Neil Simon). Good stuff.Sure the auditions tug at the viewer's emotions a bit, but that is because we are rarely exposed to the pressure cooker of what happens prior to the curtain rising. Jason Tam's audition is worth the price of admission alone.Were egos involved in making this film? Absolutely. But in reality, ego is what drives these creative forces. When it is damaged, it immediately impacts the talent. We get a first hand look at that. If you are fan of A Chorus Line, this is a must see. If you are intrigued by the Broadway process, then you will certainly see aspects you have never seen before.

We have seen A Chorus Line 6 times over the past 34 years since it opened in 1975. We saw the original cast in 1975 and then again in London and in Florida.It is our favorite show of all time and this documentary of how someone gets to Broadway via audition after audition including the disappointments is the essence of A Chorus Line. Including reel to reel audio tapes of Michael Bennett as he created the show were fantastic as was following the current set up of the revival. Marvin Hamlisch was there to tell us about his writing the entire score for the show.We were pleasantly surprised to see the theatre full to capacity on a Sunday afternoon in hot Florida.It brought back so many memories and the music is still among the very best ever written for Broadway. Every single song in the show is memorable and many were singing along as they did them.We recommend it highly when and if it comes to your city. If not, the DVD I am sure will be available in a few months.Wow! Thank you Michael Bennett, he would have been very proud of this touching tribute to him and his friends.