You couldn’t pay me to be 15 again – I felt sOo misunderstood. But nostalgia is a hell of a drug, and the music and movies I loved in that era will always hit different. Notably, the exquisite cinematic masterpiece that is… Step Up. In the mid-aughts my BFF and I watched the movie regularly, listened to the soundtrack on our iPods and unsuccessfully attempted the dance moves. What a time to be alive. I was curious: did it hold up? Was Channing Tatum’s choreography as mind blowing as I remember?
This whole side quest was inspired by a recent episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour. The show turned 15 (!) this year, and each of the hosts rewatched their favorite movie from when they were that age: Chicago, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club and The Hunger. They discussed the merits, cringe-y moments and the feelings that came rushing back.
Some picks aged beautifully (Catherine Zeta-Jones is still iconic in Chicago), others... not so much (somehow, the queer vampires in The Hunger are boring and self-serious). But what I loved most was hearing why those movies resonated with the PCHH hosts back in the day — and what that tells us about who they are now.
I’m not sure what loving Step Up says about me, but when I rewatched… it’s still good, y’all. Yes, the premise is corny, and yes, the actors playing high schoolers are comically old, but it doesn’t even matter. It immediately took me back to a simpler (albeit angsty) time.
Give the Pop Culture Happy Hour episode a listen, and let us know: what’s your emotional-time-capsule movie?
Cheers!
❤️ Julia
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Finally, FUN FACT ALERT. The tuxedo (as in, the suit) got its name from Tuxedo Park, the first planned residential community in New York. But there’s a lot more to the story…
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