Center Stage

This surprisingly satisfying Fame-lite crowd-pleaser--a modest dance spectacular about the competitive atmosphere of a prestigious ballet academy--is going to have teenage girls smiling dreamily and making beelines for the Danskin store. They'll love the pretty, ingenuous heroine (San Francisco Ballet's Amanda Shull) learning to believe in herself and her ability. They'll love the two handsome dancers that vie for her heart. They'll love the spectacular, toe-tapping and beautifully staged production numbers. And although they'll never let it show, their boyfriends will like it, too. Director Nicholas Hytner (The Object of My Affection) understands his movie's strengths (dancing) and weaknesses (bantam-weight storyline, inexperienced cast) and adjusts accordingly with weightless but maddeningly appealing results. Recommended. (R. Blackwelder)