Leave It on the Floor

Filmmaker Sheldon Larry's musical, which features members of Beyoncé's music and dance team, takes its inspiration from the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning, with central character Brad (Ephraim Sykes) playing like a male successor to Elizabeth Berkley's ingénue in Showgirls. After Brad's mother catches him looking at gay porn on the Internet, she kicks him out. Heading for Los Angeles, Brad steals her car, hocks her earrings, and swipes the wallet of Carter (Andre Myers), an androgyne who does the same to him. Fortunately, Brad becomes more sympathetic after this series of stunts, although he'll eventually pay for his crimes. In trying to track Carter down, Brad enters the world of the ball, where participants strut and pose. Like Brad, they're mostly black, gay, and easy on the eyes. Princess (Phillip Evelyn), an aspiring choreographer who dreams of working with Justin Timberlake, takes a shine to Brad, inviting him to stay at the House of Eminence, domain of Queef Latina (Barbie-Q), who can be almost as judgmental as Brad's mother. Queef allows him to join the team, but won't let Brad stay at the house. Much dancing and singing—featuring music by Kim Burse and choreography by Frank Gatson, Jr.—ensues, as everyone prepares for the next ball, with things going well until Princess comes between Brad and Carter, splintering the group. Leave It on the Floor, which aired on the Logo channel, is an old-fashioned melodrama at heart, but if the acting is sometimes flat, the musical sequences always deliver. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)