Every Little Step (2009)
92%RT Audience Score: 88%
Awards & Nominations: 2 wins & 6 nominations
Fascinating and insightful, Every Little Step is a thoroughly engrossing behind the scenes look at Broadway performers.
Every Little Step is a documentary that follows the audition process for the revival of A Chorus Line on Broadway. While some critics found it confusing and self-congratulatory, others were moved by the passion and dedication of the dancers. As a non-critic, I have to say that watching this documentary made me want to put on my dancing shoes and audition for a Broadway show myself (even though I have two left feet). The film captures the complexity of performance and the struggle that comes with pursuing your dreams. Plus, who doesn’t love a good montage of people dancing their hearts out? Overall, Every Little Step is a must-watch for anyone who loves musical theater or just needs a little inspiration to follow their dreams.
Production Company(ies)
Plattform Produktion Film i Väst Essential Filmproduktion, GmbH,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
42nd Street Studios, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for some strong language including sexual references
Year of Release
2009
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 36m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2009 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 13, 2009
Genre(s)
Documentary/Music
Keyword(s)
Every Little Step, documentary, music, Broadway musical, behind the scenes, audition process, revival, A Chorus Line, James D Stern, Adam Del Deo, directed by, produced by, Candy Ann Brown, Michelle Liu Coughlin, Mara Davi, Natascia Diaz, Tyce Diorio, Rick Faugno, starring, PG-13, some strong language, sexual references, genre, English, Sony Pictures Classics, box office, gross USA, $1.7M, critic reviews, reviewed by, Michael Koresky, Keith Uhlich, Jonathan F Richards, Sandra Hall, Philippa Hawker, Ruth Hessey, Kelly Jane Torrance, David D’Arcy, James Plath, Rob Thomas, Mike Scott, Dennis Schwartz, MPAA rating, audience score, Tomatometer, runtime, distributor, writer names, producer names
Worldwide gross: $2,769,763
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $3,828,119
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,249
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 417,461
US/Canada gross: $1,725,141
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,384,336
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,991
US/Canada opening weekend: $68,504
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $94,680
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,953
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Michelle Liu Coughlin – Self
Mara Davi – Self
Natascia Diaz – Self
Tyce Diorio – Self
Rick Faugno – Self
Director(s)
Adam Del Deo, James D. Stern
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Adam Del Deo, James D. Stern
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
2 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (96) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (88) | Rotten (8)
Every Little Step, like A Chorus Line itself, should prove catnip for any self-respecting, self-flagellating actor-dancer.
October 20, 2014
Michael Koresky
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
There’s a terribly interesting story behind the creation of the musical phenom A Chorus Line, but don’t look to this confused and often self-congratulatory documentary to tell it.
November 16, 2011 | Rating: 2/6
Keith Uhlich
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
It’s all up there on the screen in this impassioned, exhilarating documentary. They want to dance for you. It’s what they did for love.
August 23, 2009
Jonathan F. Richards
Film.com
TOP CRITIC
All the dancers who move towards the final cut are so good that the line between success and failure seems cruelly arbitrary and the disappointment of those who don’t make it is acute. But nobody’s giving up.
July 9, 2009 | Rating: 4/5
Sandra Hall
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
There are still plenty of engrossing aspects to the film, moments in the audition process that demonstrate the complexity of performance.
July 2, 2009 | Rating: 3.5/5
Philippa Hawker
The Age (Australia)
TOP CRITIC
I was thrilled and moved by Every Little Step, despite the abundance of bad dancing pouring out of reality television these days, because it’s about the real thing, and offers marvellous insights into of the process of creating a Broadway hit.
July 2, 2009
Ruth Hessey
MovieTime, ABC Radio National
TOP CRITIC
These stories of struggle, leading to triumph or defeat, are what make Every Little Step so fascinating. They’re also the film’s weakness – we only get a taste of who these people are and how they came to be here.
December 7, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Kelly Jane Torrance
Washington Times
The documentary, edited down from some 400 hours, is packed with crowd-pleasing moments.
December 16, 2009
David D’Arcy
Screen International
Like the dancers themselves, this documentary has heart.
October 25, 2009 | Rating: 8/10
James Plath
Movie Metropolis
The tights and the hairstyles may have changed a lot in 30 years, but the desperation and the elation remain the same.
October 7, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Dedicated theater rats might enjoy it, but it’s too one-dimensional to qualify as a singular sensation.
August 14, 2009 | Rating: 2/2
Mike Scott
Times-Picayune
It says nada about Broadway that hasn’t been said better many times before.
August 12, 2009 | Rating: C
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews…
Plot
Starting at midnight January 26, 1974, dancer and choreographer Michael Bennett held a twelve-hour taped get-together with twenty-two dancers talking about themselves, he not knowing exactly where it would lead. It would become the genesis for what has become one of the most influential Broadway musicals of all time, and a show which speaks to theatrical dancers’ hearts: “A Chorus Line”. In 2008, a Broadway revival of the show is being mounted, with many involved in the original production part of the creative team behind the revival. The issue for the revival’s creative team is to make the show and the casting fresh, while respecting the original, where the characters, their stories and their related songs all came out of the 1974 dancers’ stories, they who were cast in the original production. Although the names and the faces have changed from 1974, the dancers auditioning mirror many of the stories and issues faced by those original dancers. As such, they “really want this job” as it speaks to who they are and what they do and want to do for a living. It ends up being a difficult process for both sides as there end up being 3,000 dancers at the start of the eight month audition process.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with past and present cast and crew members of “A Chorus Line.”
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