YMMV / A Chorus Line

• Hard-to-Adapt Work: The appeal of the original musical is that it reveals the unique backstories and talents of Broadway dancers rather than grouping them into an indistinguishable ensemble. Translating the story to film meant sacrificing some of these themes in favor of a more traditional narrative, elevating Cassie and Zach's romance plot at the expense of other characters' stories. The intimate nature of the characters speaking onstage also doesn't have quite the same impact on film, nor do the elaborate dance numbers. As such, the film did poorly with both critics and audiences, including fans of the original musical.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Bobby relates a childhood story of staging a musical version of Frankenstein. Thirty-two years later, Young Frankenstein would receive a Broadway musical adaptation.
  • Near the end, Sheila remarks she's thinking of opening a dance studio. Flashforward to Bunheads where the original actress Kelly Bishop is doing just that.
  • Terrence Mann appeared in the film version — and was a star in the musical (Cats) that would break the record by A Chorus Line for longest running show on Broadway.
• Romantic Plot Tumor: The relationship between Zach and Cassie, only hinted at in the stage version, is the focus of the film version. Even more glaring is that other characters' stories are cut down for the adaptation in favor of this plot, undermining the show's message that everybody in the chorus line is equally special.
• Signature Song: The most widely recognized songs from the score are "What I Did for Love", as it encapsulates the dancers' "no regrets" attitude to the sacrifices they have had to make for their careers, and "One" (despite being deliberately stylistically at odds with the rest of the score), as it gets the flashiest set and choreography.
• The Woobie: Paul was forced to come to terms with his homosexuality at an early age when he was routinely sexually molested by "strange men" when he went to the movies with his family. His effeminate behaviour made him a target for bullying at school until he dropped out when he was 15. The only work he could get was in a drag revue, and while he enjoyed performing, he was too ashamed to tell his family - only for them to find out anyway when they unexpectedly showed up at the theatre to drop off his luggage before the show went on tour (although they seemed to cautiously accept his chosen path). As if his backstory isn't sad enough, he knows his days as a dancer are numbered and has no idea what he will do next, and the issue is then forced on him when he falls during the tap combination and aggravates a knee injury that has previously required surgery, likely permanently ending his dance career. He also goes from one ethnic name to another (Spanish to Italian) because he doesn't want to be himself.