Overrated

An absolute waste of money

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

This is another series by Starz that, at first, appears like it would be great. But instead of plot, it's just sex. Yes, I know people have sex - but is it really 80% of their story? What a waste of possibilities.

When I first heard of this series I hoped it would be an exploration of the arts world like Slings and Arrows or Mozart in the Jungle. And for about 15 minutes it seemed like it might be. The lead actress has an intensity and is a lovely dancer, and there's a sense of her gritty determination and the hardness and self-sacrifice underneath the beauty.Then there's a scene where the waspish gay artistic director throws a fit over prosecco, and I thought, seriously? Then there's a locker room scene where the girls are glib and catty in a way that felt painfully false. But hey, nothing's perfect, and the next scene, which went back to ballet, was intriguing, even if the lead character was falling into clichéd "the one" territory.Then there was a strip club.While some people consider this a fun binge show, I found it a slog to make it through one episode. The show is *so* serious about itself even though it's utterly absurd. Not only is this not another Slings and Arrows, it's not even another Smash, which wasn't exactly a deep exploration of the arts but was at least a wonderfully entertaining musical that felt like it was written by people who loved the world it took place in.I'm not convinced the people who made this series even like ballet. And that's okay, because I don't really *love* ballet myself, but I do love the artistic process, and that's the thing this series seems least interested in. Instead of giving us unique, three-dimensional characters struggling for, and with, their art, the writers give us clichés and sleaze and soap. Yet the direction treats it all like it's La Strada. I don't know why they didn't just make a series about a strip club; it's clear that's where their heart lies.

I just got off an eight hour binge of this show. I have a lot going through my mind right now. I'm accustomed to sex in shows, but the first few episodes were really in your face with it. It made me feel like I was watching a soft core. Luckily, as the series progressed the episodes began to explore other themes, though sex, desire, and lust remained prominent throughout the series. I did question whether some of the sex plots were necessary, like the plot with the underage girls on the yacht and the plot with Cameron in the strip club. After all, they were both sort of unresolved. I'm also fairly confused as to why they made a big deal out of her being a stiff, unfeeling virgin when she had already had sex with her brother. That was another freaky plot that might not have been necessary.It seemed like the show writer really hated Mia. Vision problems, an eating disorder, and a rape? All necessary? Probably not. Why was the character of Mia tortured throughout the series? To show that a dancer's career is finite? Well, point proved.I have never seen a show like this before. I loved the character of Romeo - he was so complex and deeply interesting (perhaps my favorite). I feel that he needed to kill the brother. I completely understood that. The dance pieces were spectacular. They floored me! Everyone should watch this. Mandatory viewing.

"Dark side of the ballet world" stories are always pretty intriguing, and "Flesh and Bone" is the ultimate take on that concept. I was thoroughly hooked from the first episode, but with each subsequent one, new twists were revealed that made the wait for the next episode (because, y'know, life gets in the way of TV-watching) interminable. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.I have a high tolerance-- and appreciation-- for twisted stories. This one, even by my standards, is super dark. Part of what makes it that way is that the darkness isn't contrived-- it isn't like these people are fighting literal demons or enduring the apocalypse or something. Instead, several of the characters are dealing with fascinatingly complex emotional stuff that motivates all their behavior, all their choices, and provides an understandable context for behavior that would be incomprehensible if it weren't for that. But you DO understand it, and there are numerous moments when you watch what a character is doing and think, "wow, something is really, really wrong with you."This is helped along by very good acting. I've seen varied reviews on the acting, but I found it extremely impressive, especially when the actors were sometimes given material (i.e., dialogue) that wasn't necessarily the best. Sarah Hay as Claire is terrific. She is not only a technically skilled dancer, but she shows the vulnerability and toughness that this character needs to carry the show. She's completely believable in the role-- and I have to say, having looked her up, I love that one of her few acting credits is for the "Mary-Kate and Ashley's Ballet Party" video (when she was much younger). Given how skillfully she handles the screwed-up material of this show, it's kind of delightful that she got her start in an Olsen Twins video. People have talked about how good Ben Daniels is in his role as the guy in charge of the ballet company, and he is, but I want to talk about Josh Helman, who plays Claire's messed-up brother Bryan. There's a moment, toward the end of the season, when the father smacks him, and he turns to him with a look that sent an actual chill down my spine. I watched that moment three more times just for the pleasure of seeing acting that good. Damon Herriman in the role of Romeo, the homeless guy, is very good too. I didn't love this character conceptually, but it was Herriman's acting that made it work for me. The "homeless guy living in an aesthetically pleasing little fairy den on the roof" thing is not exactly believable and vaguely insulting, and when you add in the "mentally ill guy as prophet" aspect, it's even harder to love. But that's not Herriman's fault, and he gives the character a vulnerable appeal that I could appreciate.The only thing I really found fault with was the final episode. I should have seen those resolutions coming, but it drew attention to how the whole "fairy tale as allegory for Claire's story" aspect was clumsily written all along. I get what they were going for, but in order for it to work, you had to buy into the idea that 1) all these people would let Romeo get that involved in their personal lives and that close to their physical selves in the first place, no matter how obviously crazy he was, and 2) agree that Claire was not complicit in her own problems to some degree, when-- I'm trying to avoid spoilers here-- the show had been asserting the idea that she was. There are plenty of moments when Claire is presented as a victim of her circumstances, but there are lots of others where she goes out of her way to keep the fire of those problems burning. Which is psychologically interesting, but makes it so that when Romeo sets out to be her champion, I thought, jeez, if you're so perceptive about people and their lives, shouldn't you have noticed that Claire is causing this guy the same problem he's causing her?Overall, though, the season was more than enjoyable. I was sorry that it ended in so few episodes, because the conflict was good enough for a season three times as long.