It's about a teenage boy who's great at boxing, on his way to becoming a champ, but helps out the double dutch jump rope team of a girl he likes who's short one member--on condition to stays a secret of course. He's just going to be the stand-in so they can work on their routine. he discovers he's not only great at it, but it's his passion; he loves it more than boxing. His story is echoed by the side character of a female boxer (the only white character in the movie) who he and his boys always make fun of.
It's not a brilliantly made flick, but its main wonderfulness is its treatment of gender. To make a movie about a boy who gives up boxing to jump rope? That is pure awesome sauce. It's a lot easier to make movies about girls playing boy sports, because it's okay for a girls to like things that boys like. Who wouldn't want to be like a boy?
But for a boy to want to do a "girl's" sport? That takes courage. Just as it takes courage to wear a skirt. (I went to a wedding a few years ago where the best woman wore a tux--fabulous. Can you imagine a bridesman wearing a dress? I'm sure it's been done, but... probably much less often.)
I'm glad that the person who gives our hero the needed pep talk to get back in the game, when his secret's been discovered and the school's laughing at him, is the girl boxer. But she just says something like: When people make fun of me, I just ignore them. I would have given her something stronger. Like... "You guys have been making fun of me for the last three years and I haven't given up. You've been going through this for one day! Man up!!"
Movies like this make me think of this bit from the movie The Cement Garden, which Madonna uses at the beginning of her song "What It Feels Like for a Girl".
Finally I like the title: Jump In. I picture the girls turning the ropes, Izzy standing there, hesitating, trying the find the rhythm and get in sync with it so he can jump in without getting tangled. That's a nice metaphor for switching gears in life, getting off one path, and into something new. You might get tangled up a few times but then--swoosh! swoosh! You've got your jumping legs.
If you want to watch it, it's on youtube. Or it might be one for the preteens in your life. I'm also gonna check out the soundtrack.
4 comments:
Nice recommendation. I'll check it out. Seems like I need to watch the Cement Garden as well.
My to-be-watched list is never as long as my tbr list. I sometimes actually make it to the bottom of my tbw list.
This is on my 'to watch' list too ... thanks for the heads up.
I'll warn you guys, it's Disney calibre in terms of quality. lol. But still gave me the happies.
I'll have to see this. Oh, and Billy Elliot? It's wonderful. There's a moment near the end that makes my heart soar every time I watch it.
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