THE documentary “Every Little Step” will interest those who have appeared in a production of “A Chorus Line.” So it should be bigger than “Spider-Man.”
The movie attempts to be a biography of Michael Bennett, the director and choreographer of the original “A Chorus Line.” And a backstage story of how that production was put together by Bennett from taped all-night group interviews with dancers in 1974. And a look at the 2006 revival. And a portrait of some of those who auditioned for the new show.
The film does all of these things so poorly that it assumes you know everything going in, which makes it more a souvenir scrapbook than a narrative.
Sloppily directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, the film mostly takes place in the audition room as the revival is cast. Brief snippets of interviews deliver hardly any character revelation but lots in the way of vapid drama-queeny comments such as, “You better look in the mirror, and you better like yourself,” and showbiz clichés like, “It’s not for the weak of heart, I’ll tell you that right now.”
We learn so little about where the actors came from and what this part means to them that they become a blur of interchangeable cute girls and gay guys. One actress reveals that she needs the part because her unemployment insurance is about to run out. Whether this means she’ll be sleeping in a doorway or merely asking Daddy for a check is unknown.
Deidre Goodwin, who auditions for Sheila, knocks it out of the park in a final audition and nabs the role, but we know almost nothing about her, apparently because the filmmakers thought another actress was going to get the part and didn’t bother to film Goodwin much.
“Every Little Step” shows only this: It hurts to flunk an audition, and it’s nice to get hired. Everything it has to say about Broadway was said better in Bob Fosse’s movie “All That Jazz” — in its opening five minutes.
EVERY LITTLE STEP
Dance 10, story 3.
Running time: 96 minutes. Rated PG-13 (profanity, sexual references). At the Chelsea, the Lincoln Plaza and the Angelika.