Honey is one of those classic, overbudgeted fairy tale movies
that are as predictable as the weather in Antarctica. Its formulaic approach
to storytelling combined with its failed intentions to inspire gives Gigli
and The Cat in the Hat a run for its money as one of the worst
films of 2003.
If Honey is any indication as to what kind of path Jessica
Alba will take in her post-Dark Angel career, then may the
movie gods please bless her with at least a modicum of talent. While beautiful
and extremely skilled with the dance moves in the movie, Alba delivers a wooden
and unconvincing performance as Honey Daniels. It's difficult for the viewer
to take her seriously on any level. It is clear that she still has the physical
strength and stamina from her days on Dark Angel, but Alba
lacks the ability to deliver both the warmth and toughness needed for this role.
There are two sides of Honey Daniels that needs to be seen but Jessica fails
to play either role convincingly. On one side of the coin, she’s supposed
to be the soft, true-to-her-friends girl and on the flip-side, she’s a
fast-talking, independent girl who sticks up for friends, family, and principles
she holds dear to her heart. Alba is mostly wooden in this role and barely makes
any kind of transition to either the hard or soft sides to Honey Daniels. If
the audience doesn’t feel for the character, then they won’t feel
for the movie.
I'm sure you already know the story of Honey without me explaining
much. In short, Honey Daniels is a free-spirited girl living in New York City
who juggles three jobs in order to pay her bills. She teaches a hip-hop dance
class to a group of urban teenagers, she works at a video rental store, and
by night, she’s a bartender at a hot dance club. Two of these jobs allow
Honey to do what she loves the most: dancing.
After someone with a video camera spots Honey dancing on the floor, he sends
it to big-time music director Michael Ellis (David Moscow), who asks Honey to
audition for several of his music videos. Starting out as a backup dancer, Honey
eventually works her way up to the head choreographer position for such R&B
artists such as Ginuwine. As Honey climbs up the celebrity ladder, she finds
it difficult to balance the glamour and glitz while maintaining the humble spirit
that she easily embodied before the fame. Her friendships, principles, and loyalty
are tested as her dreams quickly become a reality.
Oversentimental crap? You bet. If there is anything that saves this movie from
being an absolute mess, it’s that this girl can dance. REALLY dance. Alba
has the necessary dance moves nailed to a tee. The supporting cast comprises
of dancers who seem forced into the acting world for the sake of this film.
I’m simply going to pretend that none of these characters say a single
word in this movie. The soundtrack for the movie also boasts some great music
by artists such as Sean Paul, Tweet, and Missy Elliot.
The DVD boasts great features for any fan of the movie (which is obviously
not me.) There are two main featurettes on the disc. One is called “Behind
the Groove” and showcases some behind-the-scenes footage from the movie,
with the cast and director talking about the spirit of the movie, as well as
getting together the cast and celebrity cameos. If you’re like me and
find this movie less than convincing, then this featurette will turn out to
be nothing but another 10 minutes of your time wasted. The next featurette is
titled “The Choreography of Honey.” This one is
a bit more interesting because it’s a 9-minute feature about the only
good aspect of this movie. Quite frankly, my disdain for the film lightened
up a bit when I saw just how much Jessica had to work despite all her physical
training from Dark Angel. But as soon as this segment was over,
and I saw the title Honey again on the main screen, I felt
a sudden chill through my body as the entire movie flashed by my eyes within
seconds. Next, we have some deleted scenes but if there’s anything we
don’t need, it’s more of this movie. Finally, we have three music
videos: Jadakiss’ “J-A-D-A,” “I’m Good”
by Blaque, and “Sexy” by Shawn Desman. If this is your kind of music,
then maybe you’ll find these videos worth your while but a whole DVD isn’t
worth three songs.
This movie is nothing but 90 mintes of a hip-hop music video mix. Forget that
there’s any story, acting, or point to this dribble and it becomes a spectacle
that’s partially bearable to the eyes. To anybody into break dancing or
hip-hop music, then Honey may be worth a rental but in the
end, this movie is one treat that is more sour than sweet.
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