It may seem a bit random of me to want to talk about the 2008 MMA film Never Back Down however, I think this film really encapsulates a niche in the early 2000s for a more masculine dance film.
The story follows a 16-year-old boy played by Sean Faris as he moves to Florida with his mum and brother. However, at his new school he is an outsider and after being humiliated at a party decides to join an MMA gym.
Although the story is predictable, and the dialogue is often cheesy the film is still fun to watch, and I think it follows a very similar formula to a very niche yet popular genre at this time dance movies.
And by dance movies I mean films were dancing is a major plot point and all the other drama in the film somehow relates to dancing. Some examples are Step up, Street dance, Honey and Save the Last Dance. Although some of these films may have other major themes like family or race and cultural differences it all weirdly still somehow relates to dance.
Never Back Down is essentially a dance movie but instead of dancing the plot revolves around MMA. Think Fight Club meets Step Up.
All of these films have a very similar plotline; protagonist is feeling down about something out of their control, meets friends who are in a dance troop/fighting gym, makes an enemy with someone who is very talented at said sport and they always end with a big dance off/fight in a club.
Personally, I love the simplicity, the fun and the melodrama of these films and I can understand their appeal completely. However, when watching them it can be funny to see how seriously some take themselves and never back down is very much included in that.
I don’t think the director Jeff Wadlow wanted to necessarily make a dance film but I think that’s why people (mostly men) enjoy this film as it takes something that is traditionally marketed toward woman like a dance film and turns it into basically the same thing but this time it is more socially acceptable for men due to it being about fighting. Although this concept may seem outdated now since anyone can watch anything and it’s quite silly to say men cant watch dance films but 2008 was a different time and I honestly think that everyone sometimes wants to watch something corny and predictable.
Through the Cam 