Netflix Summary:
Two childhood besties join UCLA’s competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team, only to find the road to the US championships is fiercer than they imagined.
FYA Summary:
After going viral for a dance stunt gone wrong, Maya is ready for a fresh start in college with her bestie, Anjali, by her side. The two have a tropey classic friendship: Maya’s “the smart one,” Anjali’s “the pretty one,” and both of them are super talented dancers. Which is why they find themselves auditioning for the school’s dance team, even though Maya swore she’d never again expose herself to potential embarrassment AND even though Anjali is supposed to be focused on studying so her mom doesn’t yank her out of school. (And that, dear reader, is what we call obvious foreshadowing.)
Every year, the team competes in The Best of the Best, which is a Really Big Deal, and they usually win. But this year… well, a rival team, lead by Ronak’s (the UCLA captain) ex-girlfriend is kinda kicking their ass, and in Maya’s opinion, they’re playing it too safe with their routines. Meanwhile, Anjali is getting cozy with Ronak while becoming the team favorite, leaving Maya feeling alone and ostracized (never mind that Maya’s own actions put her on the outs with the team). Cue the drama! Cue the completely preventable misunderstandings! Cue both girls making terrible decisions! But most importantly… cue the dance numbers!
Familiar Faces:
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Maya; Priyanka Kedia as Anjali
Many of us know and love Maitreyi from Never Have I Ever, and as Maya, she plays a character very similar to Devi: impulsive, smart, and extremely opinionated. But unlike Devi, Maya doesn’t have the benefit of a great script, so she comes off as annoying and bratty. Like, the number of times I rolled my eyes at this girl!!!!
I’m not familiar with Priyanka (though she is in Disclosure Day), but I liked her performance well enough. Anjali is sweet and doesn’t rock the boat, so of course everyone flocks to her versus the cantankerous Maya. (I do want to go on record and say that both women are SO pretty, this movie is crazy to say otherwise.)
Most importantly, both of these actors can DANCE! And let’s be honest, that’s all that really matters in a dance movie.
Also, s/o to Hasan Minhaj, who pops up as a professor who is WAY too tolerant of his students talking in class.
Couch-Sharing Capability: Solo Number
It doesn’t hurt to step up to this movie with your crew, but I don’t think watching with a crowd will enhance your experience. Yes, the dance scenes are fun, but there’s nothing rowdy about the film, and it actually drags in parts. (If I had watched this with friends, I think we would’ve switched over to Step Up 2: The Streets about halfway through.)
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Tipsy Toes
I’m not saying you should get, like, College Freshman Wasted, but I strongly encourage you to enjoy a few drinks while watching. It’s extremely easy to follow along with the plot; there’s no amazing dialogue that you might be in danger of missing; and honestly, it’ll just make the dance numbers look that much more epic!
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Not the Best
To be clear, I wasn’t expecting this to be amazing. I was just looking for a fun romp of a dance movie! But between the mediocre script and the tired tropes and the uninspired plot points, I was left feeling… well, tired. I’m not sure what exhausted me more, the two main characters and their friendship OR the high amount of suspension of disbelief that was required. Either way, Best of The Best was a disappointment, which is really a shame.
I’m not sure what kind of contract Maitreyi Ramakrishnan has with you, Netflix, but y’all need to do right by her on the next one!
