Flashdance (1983)

Talent and determination can carry you far, even when no one expects you to succeed. Adrian Lyne's "Flashdance," written by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, is a film whose Oscar-winning title song, Irene Cara's "Flashdance... What a Feeling," stays in your head long after the movie ends. Its real appeal is its youthful energy and pulsing soundtrack, since the thin story mostly serves as a way to link its dance numbers. The plot is pure wish fulfillment. Jennifer Beals stars as Alex Owens, an 18-year-old from Pittsburgh who works as a welder at a steel mill by day and dazzles crowds at night with flashy, erotic, inventive dance routines at a working-class bar. It's not a strip club, so her virtue stays intact. She falls for her wealthy boss, the mill's owner (Michael Nouri), and dreams of winning a spot at the city's prestigious ballet conservatory, despite having no formal training. It's all nonsense, of course, unless you accept it as pure romantic fantasy. It works because you're swept along by Lyne's energetic, flashy, MTV-style visuals. Beals is a big asset as a stubborn, moody, slightly quirky young woman made more interesting by her fierce ambition. In the end, she gets a helping hand from her Prince Charming, but it's no rescue, since Alex is a tough heroine who does just fine on her own. Its soundtrack, including Michael Sembello's "Maniac," was a smash hit, and Beals' more athletic dance moves were performed by doubles.