Groove (DVD)

by Brian.

Good music has a tendency to seduce me, whether I want it to or not. It starts at my feet, tapping a toe or heel along with the beat subconsciously, spiting active measures taken to appear unimpressed. Music on this level detours around my frontal lobe, effectively taking my body away from my mind. For some this is alarming, but I find it bliss.

Groove as a film rarely rises above mediocrity. Flat characters, shallow plotlines, blatant messages, and tacky dialogue continually remind me that this is the work of a first-time director. This is nothing seriously grave however, for writer/director/producer/editor Greg Harrison simply has room to grow into his craft. I only bring up the point to state that the mechanics of this film are not its strength.

When I sit down to watch Groove, I do not see a movie but a party, living and dancing inside the frames of film. What Harrison has done, and why I love the movie so much, is create a transcendent mood in his film, making my foot tap even if my mind doesn't want it to. "It's like a really cool party that you're just sitting in the corner chillin through," says a friend after his second viewing. Either through editing or music (my bet's on both), the film manipulates my most primeval functions in my brain, forcing me to elate or sorrow. After what must be one of the most powerful climaxes in film, meshed perfectly by the photography, cutting, and music, the film goes to white for almost too long. Harrison must snicker at every viewing, looking back to see his entire audience squinting at the unwelcome sunlight after a phenomenal all-night soirée, the theater one with the characters.

This union of film as a party, the story as an excuse to gain entrance to this vibrant and thrilling display of youth culture in its ideal environment, might not make every film professor happy. As I walk away from the theater my mind is not on the glorious events that I've just seen, or the depth of character portrayed throughout, but of the fun and exuberance overflowing from the colors on the screen into my eyes. This is a film that makes me like techno music (if I didn't already). This is a film that makes me go home and look for any parties in my neighborhood, wishing for a jackpot half as cool as what I've just seen. This is a film, which would be infuriating if I didn't have napster, that puts songs in my head and keeps them there, resurfacing days later in a hum or tap, instantly creating an itch which only another viewing will scratch.

The DVD includes a fairly interesting commentary track as well as behind-the-scenes footage, casting auditions, and deleted scenes (with commentary as well). The coolest aspect of the disc however is the isolated music track, muting out all the unnecessary dialogue and sound effects to achieve a pure visual/musical experience. Groove must be compared with Champagne, for both are so clearly exclamations of celebration, raising spirits at breakfast, dinner, and 4 A.M with equal ease. To those that think about such matters, Groove might not make a whole lot of sense, but when I look down at my feet I realize that my body doesn't care.

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