Plot Summary
Demoted from his detective position because he took a conspiracy theory too far, Rick Dancer feels like an outcast in most people’s eyes. But then he stumbles onto something new about his theory regarding the city’s richest philanthropist, whom he believes is corrupt. Yet this only serves him orders for a psychological evaluation, which leads to him taking on a new partner—a traumatized police dog. Rick will have to learn to work with her while trying to regain the trust of his boss all while he still chases leads regarding his theory. In the end, he will have to decide if he is going to let himself care again in order to succeed.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
In a break from the typical PureFlix model, most production element of Dancer and the Dame are okay. Video quality is clear and camera work is pretty good; they’re getting better with action shots. Audio quality is fine, but the soundtrack is annoying. Prop usage is as cheesy as can be expected from a PureFlix action film attempt. The sets and locations are fairly realistic but are also stereotypical. As for the editing, there’s basically none of it. The entire film is face value: what they filmed is what you get. Every scene is run as long as it possibly can be and there’s really nothing else there. But the rundown is that Dancer is pretty average on production, which is actually a step up from the norm. This fact alone is disturbing.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
So essentially, this story is about a washed up cop doing office work at the precinct because his conspiracy theory about a local rich guy blew up in his face. But he gets a second chance in his career when his theories start to be ‘proven’ true. Then he’s sentenced to a suspect mental evaluation which consists of the psychologist pushing her opinions on him and then forcing him to take her dog off of his hands. From there, doggish ‘comedy’ ensues as Dancer stumbles upon ‘clues’ like a children’s mystery (or maybe a Hallmark mystery). The characters are flat and comedy is typical Tommy Blaze style. Once again, another horrible portrayal of counseling\psychology in a Christian film. The odd thing about this Blaze creation is that it’s not entirely committed to crass and cartoonish ‘jokes’, but instead tries to insert inspirational themes into the movie, such as the typical feel-good pet storyline. This is not to mention the Christian-sounding messages awkwardly forced into key parts of the plot. And what’s with the constant cheesy references to dog breeds ‘hidden’ in people’s names? In short, this film is a usual Blaze train wreck—a little less zany than usual, but still a mess.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
The sad state of Christian casting is that ‘secular’ actor Billy Gardell is substantially better at acting than most PureFlix actors and actresses. David A. R. White, Tommy Blaze, Brad Heller, Carey Scott, and Anna Zielinski are all their typical selves. There is really no regard for any professionalism, yet line delivery is not terrible, just awkward. Basically, nice try, but not good enough.
Conclusion
Year after year PureFlix rolls out laughable films in the name of Christianity. They are rarely received well and seem to accomplish little for the Kingdom. We’ll never understand where they constantly get their money from or how they convince more popular actors and actresses to appear in their films. If you’ve seen one dumb PureFlix movie, you’ve definitely seen Dancer and the Dame. It’s better to not waste your time on another one.
Final Rating: 2 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 