Flashdance (1983)
62%RT Audience Score: 61%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
11 wins & 14 nominations total
All style and very little substance, Flashdance boasts eye-catching dance sequences — and benefits from an appealing performance from Jennifer Beals — but its narrative is flat-footed
Flashdance is a movie that’s so 80s, it’s practically wearing leg warmers and a neon headband. While some critics might say it’s lacking in plot and character development, I say it’s got enough flashy dance numbers to make up for it. Jennifer Beals is a natural talent on the dance floor, and the soundtrack is electrifying. Sure, the love story might come off as creepy and manipulative, but let’s be real, it’s the 80s. Overall, Flashdance is a fun and sexy time capsule of a decade that was all about excess and glitz.
Production Company(ies)
Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion, Bayerischer Rundfunk ARTE
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Carnegie Institute – 4615 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
MPAA / Certificate
R
Year of Release
1983
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 35m
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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 15, 1983 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama/Romance
Keyword(s)
Flashdance, drama, romance, 1983, Jennifer Beals, Michael Nouri, Cynthia Rhodes, Lilia Skala, directed by Adrian Lyne, produced by Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, written by Thomas Hedley Jr., Joe Eszterhas, box office performance, budget, R rating, reviewed by Richard Corliss, James Berardinelli, Variety Staff, Trevor Johnston, Roger Ebert, Janet Maslin, Yasser Medina, Justin Brown, Brandon Collins, Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer
Worldwide gross: $92,921,203
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $284,334,950
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 533
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 31,007,083
US/Canada gross: $92,921,203
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $284,334,950
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 214
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,076,124
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $12,472,767
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 883
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $4,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $12,239,831
Production budget ranking: 1,585
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,591,149
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $265,503,970
ROI to date (est.): 1,410%
ROI ranking: 75
Michael Nouri – Nick Hurley
Cynthia Rhodes – Tina Tech
Lilia Skala – Hanna Long
Sunny Johnson – Jeanie Szabo
Kyle T. Heffner – Richie
Director(s)
Adrian Lyne
Writer(s)
Thomas Hedley Jr., Joe Eszterhas
Producer(s)
Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
11 wins & 14 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (48) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (31)
Unlike its grittily romantic predecessors, Flashdance is pure glitz.
March 25, 2013
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Flashdance might be considered one of the first signs of Hollywood’s Apocalypse.
April 30, 2009 | Rating: 2/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
Virtually plotless, exceedingly thin on characterization and sociologically laughable, pic at least lives up to its title by offering an anthology of extraordinarily flashy dance numbers.
May 23, 2008
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Depressing to think that this was a huge hit on the back of the Irene Cara hit single, since there’s absolutely nothing to it.
January 26, 2006
Trevor Johnston
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Jennifer Beals shouldn’t feel bad. She is a natural talent, she is fresh and engaging here, and only needs to find an agent with a natural talent for turning down scripts.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 1.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
The story doesn’t help Miss Beals either, because she’s at her least convincing when having to register any emotion other than rapture.
August 30, 2004 | Rating: 2/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Jennifer Beals can dance like a maniac under an electrifying soundtrack, but I have the impression that her role is not enough to invigorate a narrative that stumbles too much between the camp and the videoclip routine. [Full review in Spanish]
June 19, 2022 | Rating: 5/10
Yasser Medina
Cinemaficionados
The fact that this was considered a “hit” boggles my mind. I did not enjoy this. The 80’s was a wild time.
March 31, 2022 | Rating: 1/5
Justin Brown
Medium Popcorn
Besides the music, this film was tough to get through. The love story is incredibly creepy and came off very manipulative and toxic. This is the 80s but that doesn’t excuse the madness that was on screen.
March 31, 2022 | Rating: 1/5
Brandon Collins
Medium Popcorn
FLASHDANCE is an experience that grows upon you relying on the charism of Beals and the atmosphere created by Lyne’s keen eye for sexiness and Moroder’s ear for groundbreaking music.
May 28, 2020 | Rating: B+
James Clay
Fresh Fiction
With Flashdance, Beals gives a memorable performance that jump-started her career.
May 18, 2020 | Rating: 3/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
An obvious crowd-pleaser…
March 15, 2020 | Rating: 3/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews…
Plot
Alex Owens is a female dynamo: steel worker by day, exotic dancer by night. Her dream is to get into a real dance company, though, and with encouragement from her boss/boyfriend, she may get her chance. The city of Pittsburgh co-stars. What a feeling!
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Fresh Kernels praises Jennifer Beals’ “appealing performance” in Flashdance, but criticizes the film’s “flat-footed” narrative.
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