The torch has been passed to a new generation of Wayans, conceived in comedy — or at least raised in it — dedicated to movie spoofs and at least more enthusiastic than their elders have been in recent worn and weary imitations of the genre that the Wayans family revived.
“Dance Flick,” starring Damon Wayans’ son, Damon Wayans Jr., is roughly twice as funny as the spoofs spun off of the Wayans’ “Scary Movie” franchise (“Epic Movie,” “Disaster Movie”). No, those flops weren’t their fault. But they’re responsible for creating that spoof formula — dozens of movies ripped on and ripped off, crude sexual and bodily function jokes. With “Dance Flick,” the promising younger Wayans, and more Wayans relatives than you can count, do a little to restore the family brand name.
“Step Up,” “High School Musical,” “Stomp the Yard,” “You Got Served” — they’re all sent up in this pastiche of the recent dance movie craze. Damon Jr. stars as Thomas, in debt to the loan shark Sugar Bear (David Alan Grier in an ill-fitting fat suit) because of a dance battle he lost, laying low in Musical High School (get it?) where he tries to bring ex-dancer Megan (Shoshana Bush, kind of funny) back to her first love by making her “street.”
She’s a Julia Stiles-in-“Save the Last Dance” clone who abandoned dance after a tragedy — and not just the tragic Juilliard audition in which she gyrated to Rick James’ “Super Freak.”
Megan meets her hip black sidekick girlfriend (Essence Atkins, maybe the funniest thing in this), a baby mama who gives white girl lots of attitude and fashion tips. Megan learns from the dance teacher Ms. Cameltoe, played by Amy Sedaris as much more than a really naughty sight-gag. A Tracy straight out of “Hairspray” tries to fit in. An ultra-thin mean girl (Christina Murphy) keeps everybody down.
Then there’s the Zac Efron look-alike (Brennan Hillard) whose dad wants him to play basketball, but who’s gotta sing, gotta dance. When he launches into his version of “Fame,” the lyrics become “GAY! I’m gonna be gay forever!”
In Wayans World, it’s OK for black guys to dance. White guys who dance are “gay.” There’s plenty of choreography mixed in with the special effects dance battles, even an ambitious and funny “Mom Died in a Car Crash” ballet staged for Megan’s benefit. Grier in his fat suit sends-up that “Dreamgirls”‘ anthem, “And I Am Telling You,” which is now all about being fat and loving sweets.
The sets are decorated with “Don’t Go to College! It’s a Waste of Time” posters. Throw-away bits such as the vanity plates on the cars that run over Megan’s mom (“Lindsay,” “Brandy,” and the coup de grace hit-and-run, by “Halle”) and the readings on a Breathalyzer (“Mel Gibson” Drunk. “Nick Nolte” drunk, “Kiefer Sutherland,” and worst of all, “Amy Winehouse” drunk) deliver a few laughs.
But all the Wayans in the world (Keenen Ivory Wayans and the least funny of the gang, Shawn Wayans, were lead Wayans’ in the all-Wayans script) can’t keep this from running out of mildly amusing ideas after 40 minutes.
Fortunately, despite having so many siblings and offspring to give screen time to, the movie only lasts another 35 minutes or so.
“DANCE FLICK.” PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout. 1 hour, 20 minutes. Directed by Damien Wayans. Starring Damon Wayans Jr., Shoshana Bush, Essence Atkins, David Alan Grier, Amy Sedaris. Opened Friday at area theaters.
