Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

torbi-2 I can see how if you just love the Broadway genre, you might just love this. But for those of us who think the heavy handed dramatics are too much, this felt a little thin. I wish there was a little bit more about Michael Bennett (the creator of the show) and why he personally felt driven to make the show, rather than staring at the casting team again. Their descriptions of the parts didn't bring audience members who don't know much about the show into their world. It was a nice reminder of the music from the show, but overall the doc seemed a bit too cliche for me.

penwah2 A Chorus Line and I came of age right around the same time, so it has not only an aesthetic appeal for me but a nostalgic one as well. I've seen several live versions and of course the movie, which could never measure up to any live performance just because of the nature of the subject, but made the show accessible to those who couldn't see it live. I did not know what to expect upon viewing Every Little Step, but how could I be disappointed given the subject matter and its irresistible music? Reviewers here have criticized a variety of omissions in the film, charging that it is inaccurate and/or incomplete. However, I see Every Little Step as more of a multi-media magazine piece than a documentary. How amazing to listen to the interviews with the dancers back in 1974 which provided the inspiration for the musical! I thoroughly enjoyed the blending of footage of original auditions and performances in the 70s with the current audition process for the 2006 revival. Though I was disappointed not to see auditions for Morales and wondered why some of the stories were not completed, I did learn some things in retrospect that I had never known back then (eg, the Kelly Bishop I always enjoyed in Dirty Dancing is the Sheila I have been listening to all these years on the Broadway cast album). The film successfully engaged me emotionally and made me realize that it is A Chorus Line which inspired my interest in American Idol throughout these years and why that show continues to be a separate entity from these other wannabe reality shows. ELS also sent me right to the internet to dig up more Chorus Line history and cast info and You Tube performances to keep me involved and singing all afternoon, even after finishing the extra features on the DVD (there are plenty). What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.I didn't set out to be a critical viewer of this film, only to find out more about this timeless piece, and I enjoyed every little step of it.

Chad Shiira A documentary captures real life, but real life is altered when the subject is aware that he/or she is being filmed.Not for nothing, "A Chorus Line" is a permanent fixture in the American musical theater. Every performer who ever dreamed about New York loves Michael Bennett's singular sensation unconditionally. It flatters them. The 1975 musical tells the story of their lives, their struggle. Words by Edward Kleban and music by Marvin Hamlisch, "A Chorus Line" epitomizes the performer's belief that singing and dancing constitute a religion, so when it comes to churches, the bigger the better. And it gets no bigger than Broadway. "Every Little Step" gives the moviegoer a privileged look at the rarefied world of showbiz people, the weirdos who unite in their love for the bright lights. On a snowy day outside the Schubert Theater, thousands of hopeful dancers line up for open call auditions, and almost miraculously, so are we. More so than any other revival, the 2006 version of "A Chorus Line" required men and women with humility; men and women with big feet, after all they had big shoes to fill. But big heads? No. Bob Avian won't tolerate any prima donna behavior from his dancers.Competing for the part of Sheila, the sexy but aging dancer(played by Kelly Bishop in the original production), are Deidre Goodwyn and another woman, whose lack of humility takes her out of the running. Heading into final callbacks, it was the woman's part to lose, but due to an unfavorable last impression during her final audition, she opened up the competition. Out of generosity, Avian offers direction and advice to the chorus line candidate in private, giving her every opportunity to replicate the performance she gave four months prior. Instead of accepting this second chance with elegance and appreciation, this dancer goes into full diva mode and acts contentiously(in voiceovers) towards Avian, who was only trying to help her win the part. Tell it to the mountain, the moviegoer thinks, as she goes on about her broken relationship; this is "A Chorus Line", not "American Idol"; this is the choreographer from the original Broadway production, not Ryan Seacrest. "Every Little Step" is at its most immediate when a colleague tells Avian that the woman wants a decision on her fate right then and there, thus sealing her fate and losing her part to a less talented performer. With the cameras rolling, the woman loses what little leeway she had, since nobody wants to look weak when served an ultimatum. If Avian wasn't provoked and had time to mull things over, she might have gotten the part. Everybody in this business has huge egos, but for those without any clout, asserting that huge ego against those who do, amounts to suicide.Baewok Lee, the original Connie, is one of those people, and she has an ego which easily transcends her petite frame. Because Lee lacks humility , she's the last person on the committee to realize that Yuka Takara was tailor-made for the part of the undersized Asian dancer with spunk and gumption. Her philosophy on casting seems antithetical towards the creative process in regard to the interpretation of old material, which is to make it new again, when the old pro insists that she doesn't see herself in Takara. She nitpicks over Takara's accent and non-American origins(Takara was born in Okinawa), qualities that make her perfect for the part, because it updates the musical by reflecting on a different era that's even more inclusive to a wider breadth of people. Electicism is the heart of "A Chorus Line", and Lee's isolationist stance goes against the spirit of this hallowed musical. With the cameras rolling, her comments work as exposition, which means she's playing for the cameras, since her colleagues already know what her part was in the original production. The moviegoer learns that Lee was Connie when she expresses a desire to cast the part herself.

xdementorx I think some of the reviewers have mistaken Every Little Step for a documentary on the creation of A Chorus Line. It was a documentary on casting the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line with some archival information. The archival information did focus on Michael Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch was interviewed extensively, but to say that it excluded others is, I think, way off base. This was not a documentary on the creation of A Chorus Line. The contributors were all listed at the end of Every Little Step.Having said that I thought the archival information was very interesting. Some of the original recordings were played and they appeared to be included in the play almost verbatim, not to diminish the fine work of Kirkwood and Kleban. They showed the various singer/dancers competing side by side, or singing a song line by line with one doing the 1st line, another doing the next and so one. You did hear some songs multiple times but certainly not to the point where it became annoying or anything.Very interesting and entertaining to see how the cast was put together, who they chose and who they didn't. I HIGHLY recommend this film.