Story
Step Up: Miami Heat is the fourth movie in the Step Up series. Miami Heat is about Emily Anderson (Kathryn McCormick), the daughter of a wealthy developer. Emily is trying to make it as a professional dancer, but her father isn’t supportive. He wants her to give up dancing to be a part of his growing company. Emily’s determination to dance puts her at odds with her father, and family tensions rise.Emily gets involved with Sean (Ryan Guzman), the leader of a dance crew called ‘The Mob’. As a result, Emily is inspired to use her dance in a more meaningful way – to give a voice to those who don’t have one. But when Sean and Emily’s activities directly threaten Emily’s father and his current development, things come to a head.
Themes
Family conflict; social and political protest
Violence
This movie has some violence. For example:
- Sean punches his best friend when the friend talks about Emily in an insulting way.
- In many scenes dancers act as if they are shooting guns, including pistols and machine guns. Their actions aren’t usually directed at people but are about making a political statement through dance.
- During one protest the dancers are disguised in protective suits and have fake guns. The scene is dark, and there’s a lot of smoke. The dancers move aggressively – for example, they stomp in lines, move towards people and make threatening gestures. People run away and get upset. One man is punched throughout the scene.
Sexual references
This movie has some sexual references, including sexualised dance moves that children might copy. For example:
- Women straddle men in a provocative way.
- Men and women dance seductively, with the men touching the women’s bodies.
- Dancers gyrate and thrust their hips.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie shows some use of substances. For example, adult characters drink socially.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie has some partial nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Women wear tight and revealing clothing.
- Emily and Sean kiss passionately.
Product placement
The following products and brands are displayed or used in this movie: Marriott, Panasonic, Apple, Ellen, YouTube, Nike, Dell and Nokia.
Coarse language
This movie has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Step Up: Miami Heat is the fourth dance movie in the Step Up series. It’s about a dance flash mob that uses protest dance to give a voice to those who don’t have one. It’s likely to appeal to teenagers, particularly those who are dance fans. It might be disturbing for younger children who don’t understand that the protests are really performances and who are likely to be confused about why the dancers are acting in certain ways. You might also be concerned about younger children copying sexualised dance moves.
The main messages from this movie are to follow your dreams and stand up for what you believe in.
This movie could also give you the chance to talk with your children about how people can use dance and other performance acts in social and political protests and flash mobs. Here are some questions you could think about together:
- What was the difference between the more positive dance protests and the more threatening protest that resulted in people being arrested?
- Why was the more positive protest more effective?
- How can you express strong opinions in a way that doesn’t hurt others?