STAFF PICK: DANCE DADS
By Hannah Mason
Dance Dads takes the saying “dance like nobody watching” to an entirely different level. This film follows the story of a recently single father, Marco, on his unique journey of using his love of dance to fix his relationship with his only son. Although incredibly flawed, the audience cannot help but fall in love with Marco, as he is willing to do anything, such as creating a dance squad, to get his family back together. Ultimately, it’s Marco’s party, and he’ll dance if he wants to.
Filled with an incredibly dynamic cast, this film demands your attention. Jared Bonner as Marco is the father that we all wished we had, as his constant positivity compensates for his uncoordinated dance moves and cheesy dad jokes. The remaining members of the “Marco Polos” include a naive “life coach” named Danny (Brock Harris), Marco’s cousin, Taylor (Pat Morrissey), soft and sensitive Chris (Charlie Barnett), and Ajit (Nardeep Khurim) who was the fifth and final member, and all these dads are so incredibly loveable and relatable that the audience roots for them until the very end. This film also features bigger names that you won’t want to miss, such as former Shadowhunter stars Katherine McNamara as Kassie Goodhart and Matthew Daddario as Dom Feliciani.
If you were to combine So You Think You Can Dance with Poms (2019), Dance Dads is what you would get (but better than ever imaginable). This film will make you laugh, cry, and boogie woogie, as Dance Dads is comedic gold. It’s incredibly wholesome, quirky, and witty, while allowing the audience to feel as if they have a newfound family. When in doubt: live, laugh dance!
Dance Dads
(USA, 84 MIN)
Writers: Brock Harris, Jared Bonner
Director: Brock Harris
Cast list: Matthew Daddario, Katherine MacNamara, Gabrielle Ruiz, Charlie Barnett
Make sure you catch one of two showings of Dance Dads while at AFF:
Saturday October 29, 2022 4:45pm
Rollins Long Center
Thursday November 3, 2022 2:45pm
Galaxy Theatre 6