Alexandra “Alex” Owens (Jennifer Beals) is an eighteen year-old welder at a steel mill in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who lives with her Pitbull dog Grunt in a converted warehouse. Alex aspires to become a professional dancer, but she has no formal education and she works as an exotic dancer by night at Mawby’s, a neighborhood bar and grill that hosts a nightly cabaret.
Lacking family, Alex forms bonds with her coworkers at Mawby’s, some who aspire to greater artistic achievements. Jeanie (Sunny Johnson), a waitress, is training to be a figure skater, while her boyfriend, short-order cook Richie (Kyle T. Heffner), wants to become a stand up comic.
One night, Alex catches the eye of customer Nick Hurley (Michael Nouri), the owner of the steel mill where she works. After learning that Alex is one of his employees, Nick begins to pursue her on the job, though Alex turns down his advances at first.
I love the opening dance scene and I’ve always wanted to re-create it. Jennifer Beals is a great actress and it’s hard to believe that she was only 18 years old when this film was made. Michael Nouri is great as well. This film also has an incredible soundtrack and the title song is one of my favorites. The story is one that any dancer can relate to.
Flashdance was a landmark film of the 1980s, singlehandedly sparking the fashion trends of off-the-shoulder shirts, legwarmers, and ripped jeans, not to mention fueling the aerobics craze. It was a fun film at the time, but the set-up seems stranger now than it did then.
On one hand, Flashdance is a by-the-numbers combo of a romance and one of those films where the protagonist must find the courage to pursue her or his dreams. But it’s a particularly good example. Not only does it create strong visual and auditory images -with its chart-topping, award-winning soundtrack, it’s not entirely saccharine.
Director: Adrian Lyne
Year of Release: 1983
Character to watch: Jennifer Beals as Alex Owens.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the movie.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?