Dancing in September

Dancing in September is an American romantic comedy-drama television film written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood (in his directorial debut), who also produced with Reuben Cannon and Don Kurt. It stars Nicole Ari Parker and Isaiah Washington, alongside Vicellous Reon Shannon, Malinda Williams, Jay Underwood, Michael Cavanaugh, Mel Jackson, and Jenifer Lewis. It follows a struggling African-American television writer who gets her sitcom picked up by the neophyte WPX network through an executive producer hired specifically to develop shows aimed at the black market.

Dancing in September
Written byReggie Rock Bythewood
Directed byReggie Rock Bythewood
Starring
ComposerCamara Kambon
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers
CinematographyBill Dill
Editors
  • Kevin Krasny
  • Joel Plotch
Running time106 minutes
Production companies
  • HBO Films
  • Weecan Films
  • StarRise Entertainment
Release
Original networkHBO
Original release
  • February 3, 2001 (2001-02-03)[1]

The film premiered at the Hollywood Black Film Festival on February 24, 2000, and also screened at the Sundance Film Festival on February 3, 2001. It aired on HBO on February 3, 2001, and earned a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the song "Welcome Back (All My Soulmates)". It was also nominated for two NAACP Image Awards and five Black Reel Awards, with Bythewood winning Outstanding Director and Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Mini-Series.

Plot

Dancing In September tells the story of two hopeful and ambitious African-Americans attempting to make their mark in the television industry. One is a scriptwriter named Tomasina “Tommy” Crawford (Parker), who has grown weary of contributing to stereotypical characters and programming for African-Americans and dreams of creating a balanced, positive program for herself and the African-American public. The other is a newly appointed television producer named George Washington (Washington), who hopes to ascend to the highest levels of the television industry and carve out a special place for himself to help redefine African-American programming. When Tommy submits a script for a positive family sitcom titled "Just Us," she is indirectly brought into George's path. The rest of the film follows the struggles that both she and George face in their specific environments, mainly painting a positive portrayal of African-Americans in the media, in addition to staying true to their own culture and identity as African-Americans.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

Lael Loewenstein of Variety called Dancing in September "a handsomely mounted tale of love and compromise set against the backdrop of network TV" and concluded her review by writing, "Bythewood's ambition is worthy of his talent, and this is an impressive freshman effort. Pic could stand a little trimming, but pacing in general is sharp and up-tempo, much like Bythewood's writing."[2] Todd McCarthy of Variety described the film as "the decorous and conventional version of Bamboozled" and opined that "Bythewood's approach is downright polite by comparison, as he analyzes the commercial pressures on TV creators to be entertaining at all costs while weaving through it a perfectly agreeable but unexceptional love story."[3] Julie Salamon of The New York Times stated, "Mr. Blythewood has a smooth directing style and plenty of show-biz smarts. Maybe too much; he salts this production with lots of insider bits of business […]. Despite this shrewdness, Mr. Blythewood doesn't resist sliding into the genre's twin pitfalls of sentimentality and melodrama. Still, Dancing in September presents a fresh look at familiar territory."[4]

Accolades
Year Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
2001 27th Humanitas Awards Sundance Feature Film Dancing in September Nominated [5]
53rd Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Music and Lyrics "Welcome Back (All My Soulmates)"
Mark Sparks, Sy Smith		 Nominated [6]
2002 33rd NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Dancing in September Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Isaiah Washington Nominated
3rd Black Reel Awards Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series Dancing in September Nominated [7]
Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Mini-Series Reggie Rock Bythewood Won
Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Mini-Series Nicole Ari Parker Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Mini-Series Vicellous Reon Shannon Nominated
Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie or Mini-Series Reggie Rock Bythewood Won

References
  1. Braxton, Greg (February 3, 2001). "Taking It Step by Uneasy Step". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  2. Loewenstein, Lael (February 27, 2000). "Dancing in September". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  3. McCarthy, Todd (February 1, 2001). "Dancing in September". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  4. Salamon, Julie (February 2, 2001). "TV WEEKEND; Separate Quarters on Good Ship Lollipop". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  5. Toushin, Abbi (June 13, 2001). "Finalists chosen for film, TV award". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  6. "Dancing In September". Television Academy. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  7. "BRAs Winners". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
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