PLANET B-BOY

When breakdancing first really broke in America, with its first big exposure in the movie Flashdance, it became a phenomenon. I remember kids trying it in my junior high lunchroom, it was all over TV, and you could even take breakdancing classes or watch instructional videos to learn the moves. Then it fizzled from overexposure (raise your hand if you remember Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo as anything other than a punchline). But since its 80s heyday, the dancing went back underground, then slowly it was reinvented and adopted by the world. If you haven't seen breakdancing lately, this film will blow your mind.

Planet B-Boy follows several groups of breakdancing or "b-boy" crews as they vie to be best in their own countries, for the chance to go to Battle of the Year, the ultimate international b-boy showdown held annual in Braunsweig, Germany. This exuberant and hugely entertaining documentary follows a few crews of b-boy dancers as they compete in their own countries for a chance to go to Germany, then face off against each other in the ultimate showdown. The Battle of the Year offers pretty middling cash prizes, but the real prize for these (mostly) young men, is the chance to perform in an arena to an enthusiastic audience of thousands against the best in the world.

Not much time is wasted in the film on the history of breakdancing (you can find that in other films, I suppose), but Planet B-Boy instead just jumps right in, introducing a handful of crews that are followed all the way to the finals. The French crew Phase-T are praised for their style, the Americans Knucklehead Zoo (from Las Vegas, of all places!) get props for their skills in battles (one-on-one face-offs with other crews), and the Japanese Ichigeki receive props for their creativity. One of the more interesting contrasts are between the returning champions, Gamblerz from South Korea (who have astonishing physicality), and from their countrymen Last For One, who bring the fun back into the dancing. There are profiles of some of the individual dancers, and one recurring theme seems to be that the boys have something to prove to their parents, most of who are single, working class, and aren't entirely supportive of their kids' choice to dance.

Planet B-Boy is pretty by the book as far as documentary structure, as the film inevitably leads to triumph and disappointment among the crews when they battle it out in Germany. There are smiles and tears as the teams get winnowed down to the final four, with only two chosen (by judges) to battle for the top prize. But HOLY CRAP, what dancing! The footage from the Battle of the Year is freakin' fantastic, and positively invigorating. I was standing up for the last 20 minutes of the movie, and heck, I was in my living room! Even if you haven't thought twice about breakdancing since the 80s, Planet B-Boy will completely transform your opinion of street dancing. This is easily one of most entertaining documentaries I've seen all year.