Dangerous Dance

Prolific producer/director Menachem Golan's Dangerous Dance proves that 1977's Saturday Night Fever still reverberates decades later in some of the most unlikely places. Shot in two versions, English and Hebrew (with English subtitles), this low-budget musical focuses on Yossi (Zohar Liba), an ex-soldier who lives at home and loves to dance (the John Travolta poster above his bed makes it clear that Yossi is essentially a Tel-Aviv edition of Travolta's Tony Manero, except that he prefers Latin dance to disco). Where dark-haired Yossi is the epitome of uncouth, blonde ballet student Annabelle (Eliana Bakier) is his exact opposite—so, naturally, they wind up together at the “Dance Star Israel” competition, where love blooms between the unlikely couple. While it's refreshing to watch an Israeli film more concerned with people than politics, Dangerous Dance is strictly third-rate, with a script that cribs shamelessly from hoofer spectaculars such as West Side Story and Flashdance, while the actors deliver their lines in soap opera fashion (the production feels more little screen than big screen). Not recommended. (K. Fennessy)