History Film / Flashdance

* CrossCastRole: In a weird variation, a portion of Alex's climactic audition dance was actually performed by a teenage boy! The reason? Said teenager (name of Richard Colón, alias Crazy Legs) had invented a move the producers decided to include in the performance, and they believed he was the only one who cold possibly pull that one off.

A 1983 film directed by Adrian Lyne, scripted by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas (from a story by Hedley), and produced by Creator/JerryBruckheimer.

* BikiniBar: Mawby's.
** Its EvilCounterpart is The Zanzibar, a skeezy strip joint owned by Johnny C.

* BasedOnATrueStory: The film is based on the biography of Maureen Marder. She was paid $2300 for the right to make a movie about her life story, and then [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashdance#Legal_action_by_Maureen_Marder filed a lawsuit]] when the film grossed $150 million.

''Flashdance'' is a 1983 film directed by Adrian Lyne, scripted by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas (from a story by Hedley), and produced by Creator/JerryBruckheimer.

[[quoteright:230:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Flashdanceposter_5550.jpg]]

* [[spoiler: MentorOccupationalHazard:]] Alex is stunned to learn that [[spoiler: Hannah died in the rest home while she was away]].

* XMeetsY: ''Film/TheDeerHunter'' meets ''Film/{{Rocky}}''. Certainly, a couple of those early-eighties dance sequences can trigger [[EpilepticFlashingLights 'Nam flashbacks]].

* MayDecemberRomance: Nick is also quite older than Alex. Lampshaded by the critics who say that the age difference is WAY too big among both the charas and the actors to be believable.

''Flashdance'' is a 1983 film directed by Adrian Lyne, from a story by Tom Hedley and script by Joe Eszterhas, and produced by Creator/JerryBruckheimer.

** Reportedly, Jennifer Beals was cast by a Paramount executive who showed pictures of the three finalists for the part -- Beals, Leslie Wing, and Creator/DemiMoore -- to a group of construction workers and asking them "Which of these women do you most want to fuck?"

The film was a '''monster''' success (Only Creator/RogerEbert dared to slam it) and a StarMakingRole for Beals. This is partly attributed to the then-newfangled {{MTV}}, which played excerpts from the film's dance numbers on a continuous loop. In effect, ''Flashdance'' became the standard for music videos produced in conjunction with big-budget movies.

* EightiesHair: Most prominently seen on the women, of course, but check out Lee Ving's pineapple forelock as the villainous Johnny C.

** Reportedly, Jennifer Beals was cast by a Paramount executive who showed pictures of the three finalists for the part -- Beals, Leslie Wing, and DemiMoore -- to a group of construction workers and asking them "Which of these women do you most want to fuck?"

''Flashdance'' is a 1983 film directed by Adrian Lyne, with a screenplay written by story writer Tom Hedley and Creator/JoeEszterhas.

* FootFocus: Alex gets MANY close ups of her feet. She even plays footsie with Nick's crotch under a restaurant table.

''Flashdance'' is a 1983 film starring Jennifer Beals as Alexandra "Alex" Owens who, in quite possibly the [[RuleOfSexy greatest film premise ever]], works as a factory welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Her aspiration, however, is to enroll in a prestigious dance conservatory. Dreams are chased, [[SignatureScene pull chains are yanked]], and tears (and sweat) are shed.

''Flashdance'' is a 1983 film starring JenniferBeals as Alexandra "Alex" Owens who, in quite possibly the [[RuleOfSexy greatest film premise ever]], works as a factory welder by day and an exotic dancer by night. Her aspiration, however, is to enroll in a prestigious dance conservatory. Dreams are chased, [[SignatureScene pull chains are yanked]], and tears (and sweat) are shed.

The film was a '''monster''' success (Only RogerEbert dared to slam it) and a StarMakingRole for Beals. This is partly attributed to the then-newfangled {{MTV}}, which played excerpts from the film's dance numbers on a continuous loop. In effect, ''Flashdance'' became the standard for music videos produced in conjunction with big-budget movies.

The soundtrack sold over 20 million copies and produced two hit singles, "Flashdance...What a Feeling" and "Maniac", both of which have remained in the pop culture consciousness.

* XMeetsY: ''TheDeerHunter'' meets ''Film/{{Rocky}}''. Certainly, a couple of those early-eighties dance sequences can trigger [[EpilepticFlashingLights 'Nam flashbacks]].

* LoveInterest: Nick, [[spoiler: who also happens to be Alex's boss]].

* DawsonCasting: Alex is 18 years old, but played by then-20-year-old JenniferBeals. Not as extreme as most examples, but still there.

* HeroicBSOD: Jeanie, when [[spoiler: she horribly loses the skating auditions.]] Alex herself, [[spoiler: when Hannah dies.]]

* LoveInterest: Nick [[spoiler: who also happens to be Alex's boss.]]

* [[spoiler: MentorOccupationalHazard:]] Alex is stunned to learn that [[spoiler: Hannah died in the rest home while she was away.]]

* ThrowItIn: The sweatshirt Jennifer Beals wanted to wear shrank in the wash, so she had to cut out the collar in order to put it on, even though it would keep slipping off her shoulder. This ended up creating a fashion craze for off-the-shoulder sweatshirts and T-shirts through the mid-80s, and which unexpectedly came back into fashion beginning around 2009.

* TwoGirlsAndAGuy: Alex, Jeanie, and Jeanie's boyfriend Richie.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The director's chair was originally offered to Brian [=DePalma=]. [=DePalma=] accepted, but a few weeks into pre-production, he left the film to direct ''{{Scarface}}'' and was replaced by Adrian Lyne.
** The role of Nick was offered to [[{{KISS}} Gene Simmons]], who declined it rather than compromise his onstage persona. (The [[SellOut post-1996]] Gene would probably rethink it.)

* DawsonCasting: Alex is 18 years old, but played by then-20-year-old JenniferBeals.