TIFF Next Wave 2014: Leap 4 Your Life Review

Leap 4 Your Life

Leap 4 Your Life

The performing arts mockumentary is hardly a new or groundbreaking concept, but this entry into the genre courtesy of writer, producer, and actor Taylor Hill buzzes with energy, a lot of genuine laughs, and enough inspired silliness to make one briefly forget that its nothing audiences haven’t seen before.

The low-rent Sashay Dance Company is gearing up to win their tenth straight title in the Leap 4 Your Life dance competition, which shouldn’t be too hard since the school’s overbearing and oafish instructor (April Telek) is married to the event’s organizer/awkward emcee (Dave Collette). The four member crew consists of hyper motivated Hilary (Allie Bertram), good natured, but unappreciated Brooke (MacKenzie Porter), untalented brace faced dynamo Molly (Hill), and Matt (Reece Thompson), the token male with a father so terrible at listening that he refuses to believe his son isn’t gay.

Bouncing back and forth between the competition and the participants interacting with their families, it follows the fake talking head plot structure that Christopher Guest perfected years ago without deviating from it even slightly. It could have been a boring retread, but most of the jokes hit their mark, the performances are always amusing (especially the scene stealing Collette), and it’s not afraid to throw in a dash of Drop Dead Gorgeous styled misanthropy along the way. It’s not groundbreaking in any way, but it’s certainly fun.

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Screens

Saturday, February 15th, 4:30pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox



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