The Fits (2015) User Reviews

A noticeably impressive portrait of a girl on the verge of her teenage years

[Movie_Muse_Reviews · 8/10 · 5 December 2016]

A Cincinnati community center sees a sudden epidemic of incidents in which teenage girls start fainting and convulsing in Anna Rose Holmer's "The Fits," yet "science fiction" or "supernatural" are two words that belong nowhere near this film. Instead, Holmer uses this conceit as a tool in her 72-minute portrait of a tween girl finding her way socially and emotionally.

So little of "The Fits" counts toward plot or action that you might wonder why Holmer "dragged out" what feels more obviously like short film material into a feature. Yet her patience and artistry pay dividends, at least for the open-minded viewer. The camera pierces a further layer of its subject's —11-year-old Toni — psychology, allowing the viewer to enter deeper into her point of view.

Newcomer Royalty Hightower would obviously be a candidate to get credit for achieving such a high degree of empathy, but in actuality, it's Holmer's exceptional focus on Hightower. Her conscientious effort to tell the subtext of Toni's story more than anything else results in a film that speaks rather poetically to adolescence and self-discovery.

Toni is a determined girl who understands the importance of working hard more than most. She goes with her brother to the community center each day to train and learn how to box, but she's transfixed by the girls upstairs in the Lioness dance troupe. We immediately see both the committed, tireless side of Toni and the side of her that longs to be a dancer, and so it's clear that she can dance if that's what she desires most.

The premise of a girl boxer wanting to be a dancer is a refreshing subversion of gender role archetypes, and a gentle way for Holmer and co-writers Saela Davis and Lisa Kjeruiff to let viewers know that gender identity/roles are not a focal point of their story. This is a film about a girl finding herself, period.

We get all these long, lingering, quiet moments alone with Toni in order to really experience how she deals with the emotional storm of her own desires, social pressure and the fear and panic induced by this outbreak of "fits." And there's nothing particular unique in how she copes, which is what makes accessing her consciousness, as the viewer, so effortless. The power of this particular film comes from that experience.

All that said, it's hard not to wish that there had been just a few more external factors to add tension and drama to this story, especially with a premise that could've so easily gone that route. Kudos to Holmer committing to her cinematic portrait and not caving to more typical movie conventions, but something to hook the viewer a little more would have elevated her impressive artistry.

The average moviegoer won't likely stumble upon "The Fits," so there's not a whole lot of danger in it being misunderstood and dismissed for leaning more heavily toward poetry than entertainment, but perhaps that "supernatural" premise warrants a bit of a disclaimer. Go in looking to experience what it's like to be 11 again, however, and you'll be floored by what Holmer has accomplished.

~Steven C

Thanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Teen pregnancy, and the sociological fits that ensue.

[axred · 8/10 · 28 December 2016]

Don't think too hard. This film is about wanting to fit in as an adolescent. And not fully understanding what peers older than you are going through, but wanting to be accepted regardless.

Consider the first fit, the first "episode," as real. The leader, Legs, was PREGNANT, from Donte. Maybe she overworked herself dancing? Complications? Dehydration? But she was definitely, absolutely, pregnant... and she then had a seizure, an episode, whatever it was. Chances are it was the only sincere "fit" in the film.

Imagine each subsequent fit to be each girl's attempt to follow suit. To be like their "leader." The girl they look up to each day while dancing, the girl they follow, for their own reasons.

Toni's dialogue is all you need to know: "Maia wanted it to happen to her." So it did. And, eventually... Toni wanted it too.

It's a surreal film. Obviously Toni isn't going to get pregnant, but her mind doesn't fully understand pregnancy yet, so she throws her own unique fit. Just as each of her friends threw their own. She creates a fantasy of being accepted. She floats, she flails, she falls, and she's caught by her friends. She fits.

The importance of fitting in (or not)

[paul-allaer · 7/10 · 26 June 2016]

"The Fits" (2015 release; 72 min.) brings the story of Toni, an 11 yr. old girl. As the movie opens, we see Toni doing push-ups and working out in the boxing gym alongside her older brother. But afterwards she watches a nearby dancer troupe doing their workouts, and it's clear Toni wants to join them. Toni's brother encourages her and it's not long before Toni enters a whole new world. To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the debut full-length feature from writer-director Anna Rose Holmer. Here she picks a familiar topic (coming of age, fitting in and social acceptance), but Holmer brings it in a unique way, focusing on an 11 yr. old girl whom we watch as she tries to find her way. There is no dialogue to speak of during the first 20-25 minutes of the movie. Instead, we decipher all we need to know from Toni's face and body expressions. Newcomer Royalty Hightower as Toni as an absolute sensation. Did I mention that the entire cast of this film is African-American? (Interestingly, Holmer herself is not.) The movie is set entirely in Cincinnati's gritty West End neighborhood (much of the film being set at the Lincoln Community Center). As a complete aside, I also noticed in the opening credits that the movie is presented by the Biennale di Venezia, yes, the famous arts fest. Bottom line: "The Fits" is an abstract, yet very real comment on a young girl's coming of age, dealing with social acceptance and related challenges.

The movie opened recently at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Tuesday evening screening where I saw this at was PACKED, to my great (but pleasant) surprise. The fact the movie was shot here surely had a lot to due with it. Equally surprising was to see how many young kids were in the audience. If you are on the fence, perhaps because the movie's short running time, please do yourself a favor and check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray. You will thank me later.

Somewhere between Girl Fight and Bring It On lies the Fits, that fits perfectly

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 5 June 2016]

In a reverse of your typical stereotypes, main protagonist Toni is a girl who actually starts out as a boxer (in training, mostly so that her boxing brother can keep an eye on her while he trains) decides to make a switch to the all-girl dance team that practices next door. It's a great coming-of-age story about a girl trapped in a bubble she needs to pop.

When I saw the trailer, I noticed that the lead actress playing Toni is getting mad props for her performance, which she does deserve, but I also fell in love with the performance of the supporting actress whose plays Breezy, the friend that Toni makes when she joins the dance crew. The entire relationship was done simple and natural and yet sends a powerful message on friendship. Watching both of these young black actresses on the screen sharing scenes together made the movie for me.

There was a big metaphor in the movie that I did not fully understand about the girls having seizures because of contaminated water, it has something to do with fitting in but I'm not fully sure.

Otherwise, I absolutely enjoined this movie, especially the chemistry between the two young actors

Can't "fit" this film into a box

[ccorral419 · 7/10 · 9 June 2016]

Independent Director Anna Rose Holmer (Producer of Jody Lee Lipes' "Ballet 422"), along with writer Saela Davis, present a female coming of age project filled with few words, yet provocative in meaning and intention. The cast is filled with real life youth Cincinnati drill team members, featuring strong raw performances by Toni (Royalty Hightower), her cool brother Donte (Antonio A.B. Grant Jr.), and the lovable Breezy (Alexis Noblest), all who are trying to find their way in a society that has forgotten about them. Because dialogue is at a minimum here, with individual performances driving the film and dialogue delivery at times amateur, the viewing audience must make what they will out of the vague storyline presented. Unfortunately, this lazy-faire direction by Holmer leaves the film with spurts of boredom. However, when the viewing experience is over, one can't help but want to speak to someone about what was just presented. Is "The Fits" about the desire to fit in, the epidemic currently playing out in Flint Michigan, about bonding at all costs, or something completely else? While the film may be garnering a lot of attention, I heard more "C" ratings than "A" ratings at the screening I attended (including mine), and many film attendees (again including myself) were left with more questions than the film answered.

Quite simply the most hauntingly thoughtful film at 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

[freekyfridays · 10/10 · 15 March 2016]

NYU cinematography undergraduate Anna Rose Holmer began as a camera assistant on Catherine Hardwicke's TWiLiGHT (2008) and as a grip on Lena Dunham's TiNY FURNITURE (2010). In 2014, she began scouting Cincinnati, finding not only the absolute perfect school rec hall for her directorial debut but an entire cast of young girls, all of whom attended the school.

Holmer establishes a pure, uncompromising cinematic style by quietly following Toni, an 11-year old girl boxer who roams spooky hallways, longingly gazing at "legit" dance team members. The precocious newcomer Royalty Hightower has a perfect blend of introverted determination and wandering magic, while an unexplainable contagion seems to be inhabiting random girls within the school.

What is so unique about The Fits is its power to hypnotize any viewer who is prepared for a full-blown transcendental journey. In fact, Anna Rose Holmer's relentless otherworldliness is exactly what puts her feature debut The Fits at the top of my list. Not only does Holmer's film combine the rigid silence and physical exertion of Robert Bresson's A MAN ESCAPED (1956) and Claire Denis' BEAU TRAVAiL (GOOD WORK, 1999), the eerie off-center camera-work by Paul Yee evokes the foggy locker rooms in Brian DePalma's CARRiE (1976) and the abandoned buildings in Paul Lynch's PROM NiGHT(1980).

Most importantly, Holmer's film gives her female protagonists actual character arcs. As the mysterious virus continues to attack the class, each sequence and every shot should become more important to the audience. This cinematic process forces viewers to emotionally dig-deep within themselves to truly connect with what these pre-teen inhabitants are speechlessly experiencing. For those who stay in-synch with this 72-minute, mini-masterpiece and allow themselves to feel one of the most unique and sensational finales in recent years, genuine catharsis might actually be attained.

Review taken from my 2016 Sundance Film Festival wrap up at www.48hills.org

Mysterious & Intriguing Indie

[larrys3 · 6/10 · 13 September 2016]

This mysterious and intriguing indie will probably only appeal to a certain slice of viewer, especially those that don't need the plot elements of a film to all fit neatly together. I usually like my movies to have decent resolutions to any questions raised, but this movie kept me interested throughout its sparse 1 hr. and 12 min. time frame.

Royalty Hightower is exceptional in her starring role here as 11-year- old Toni, who's training for boxing at a Cincinnati community center with her older brother Jermaine (De'Sean Minor), who is employed there. When Toni sees an acclaimed dance team training at the center she joins them, but has trouble fitting in due her her shyness. She will eventually bond with another new young dancer Beezy, very ably played by Alexis Nesblett.

Soon however, things become very strange, as several of the older girls begin to get seizure-like symptoms, labeled "the fits". No one can seem to find the cause of these fits, and this causes chaos amongst the dance team.

Overall, this film's strengths are the natural acting of the cast and its very creepy atmospherics. However, don't expect any character development or entire resolutions to the plot machinations. Also, I would say Anna Rose Holmer, who is making her major motion picture debut as writer and director, shows good promise here, and I'd certainly be interested in seeing what else she brings to the screen.

I won't go into detail because...

[consuelo2899 · 9/10 · 3 December 2016]

"The Fits" is a surrealist film and it should be seen as one. Not everyone is a fan of surrealism and that is why they dislike this movie so much, but do not be discouraged if you do not understand every part of "The Fits", it is meant to make you think. I will say, the acting is excellent, specifically the lead, and everything is beautifully shot. If you are seeing this movie and have never seen a surrealist film, do not be discouraged, instead look into surrealist film and use this movie as an example, because it's a wonderful one. 9/10 is a little high for me but I believe this movie is misunderstood and it deserves reviews from people who understand it or at least try to.

impressive film debut

[framptonhollis · 6/10 · 17 January 2017]

This brief feature film debut from Anna Rose Holmer is among the most interesting and enjoyable independent films of 2016. At first, the film was a bit slow and didn't seem to be going anymore, but once the plot kicked in I was very pleased. After watching the entire film, I am grateful for the slow build up because of its moodiness and great introduction to the characters and setting. The only reason the slow moving atmosphere is a flaw in my eyes is because I thought that the whole film was going to be that plot less, and that, in the end, it would have had no climax, conflict, etc. But it does have a climax, and it does have a conflict. At its core, the film is a powerful little tale about fitting in. Its charming, beautifully filmed, and at times ingeniously unsettling.

The only real flaw was how wooden some of the child actors were. At times, certain performances kind of ruined the film's realistic vibe.However, the characters were likable and their struggles were well executed and written enough for these performances not to completely ruin the experience. But, other than that this was a really impressive little film debut that really has me believing that this first time filmmaker will be going places!

It's Just a Shame...

[Snootz · 4/10 · 22 September 2016]

I always find it somewhat of a shame when a movie that has everything going for it falls flat on its face. That's what happens in "The Fits". The description here on IMDb properly describes the movie. Unfortunately the movie itself does little more to take it beyond that description.

The directing and acting is excellent, especially by lead actor Royalty Hightower. She is not alone, backed up by some excellent casting for the parts of her best friend and her brother.

Were this a simple slice-of-life movie it would be acceptable and interesting. But it doesn't qualify as such. It takes the viewer down a specific road of semi-realistic insight into the life of a black adolescent girl, then throws that all out the window with what can only be described as a plunge into script-writing and directing self-indulgence. I always wonder how so many people can be involved in creating a work like this without someone stepping up and saying, "Hey, has anyone noticed the plot line stinks?" At the end, the viewer is left asking, "What was that supposed to be all about?". The result is a mixture of enjoyment, shock and disappointment as we realize yet another movie with potential has been flippantly cast to the canines.

Yes, pun intended. You'll need some humor after watching this.

Boring

[jpr888 · 1 January 2017]

I just don't get the reviews for this film. The acting was good if not great, but the story is just plain boring. Very little happens and what does is pretty unremarkable. I fell asleep about 3/4 of the way through the movie. My wife made it through the whole thing and was especially disappointed with the ending. Don't waste your time unless you're trying to get some sleep. OK, I have to add more lines to satisfy this site. That is so irritating and the reason I only add reviews for vastly underrated, and vastly overrated movies in my opinion. More lines needed. More lines needed. More lines needed. And yet more lines are needed. Unfortunately,even more lines are needed. Finally, enough lines!

Wonderfully crafted film

[irishboy141 · 9/10 · 23 October 2018]

This movie blew me away.

A smart and well made film that takes it's time, develops characters, spotlights fitting in, and actually has symbolism that means something.

The direction, cinematography, lighting, acting, and general filmmaking on display is masterful. The only negative I can think of is that is can feel a little too slow sometimes. Even then It always kept my interest.

I really enjoyed this film and can't wait for the director's next project.

Fascinating but confusing

[alycejunker · 6/10 · 25 December 2017]

Why I want to love this movie: -The acting was fantastic! I love movies with unknown and amazing talent. One of the interesting things about the acting was that you only really ever got to see and hear from the teens in the movie. All the adults are nameless, faceless (mostly), and all around useless/unimportant. That was very novel and interesting to watch that way. -Fascinating plot with very little dialogue. -Simplistic yet stunning directing and filming. The simplicity made everything that happened in the film important. Example: The main character Toni will just be walking in a scene and the camera will be focused on her, but there is so much going on in the background all the time. Keeping the camera focused on her even when she isn't doing anything except walking, gives the viewer time to notice what is going on in the background.

Why I just can't give this more stars: -Too short! I normally don't notice how long a movie is, but this was so short that it felt like the movie wasn't over yet. -What is happening? Why is it happening? Why just girls? What was the dance scene towards the end? Is the theme about fitting in? Is it supernatural? Is it coming of age? ENDLESS questions! I generally enjoy movies that leave the viewer with questions and that make the viewer think, but this one was SO open ended it was frustrating. There was pretty much zero closure. WARNING SPOILERS: You think you know what is going on towards the beginning; the girls are pregnant and are suffering the side effects in an extreme way. As the movie continues, all the girls, even the ones too young to be pregnant get the fits (did they all just get their period? Yet ANOTHER question). Then Toni has a vision, floats towards the other girl, then also has a fit. Finish the movie with a slight smile and a confused look on my face.

I would love if a film professional could examine this movie, because I think there is more going on than my tiny brain can understand. Overall, fantastic movie but I'm not so sure it will be on my repeat watching list.

First-time director proffers up visually impressive but inert tale of inner city pre-pubescent attempting to join competitive dance drill group

[Turfseer · 3/10 · 20 November 2016]

Who is Anna Rose Holmer? Well she's the writer and director of a 72 minute indie by the name of the "The Fits," which inexplicably has garnered a slew of accolades from a host of major critics. Like many fledgling indie directors, Holmer shows great promise in the technical area of filmmaking and The Fits doesn't disappoint when it comes to some great editing and cinematography. But as far as screen writing, Holmer doesn't have a clue how to develop characters or construct a plot featuring a modicum of suspense.

Holmer's narrative is mainly shot in an inner city community center in Cincinnati, and her protagonist is one Toni, played by 11 year old Royalty Hightower, whom the critics have taken under their wing as cinema's next great child actor (I won't speculate as to why this has come to be—only to throw in my two cents that this is a young girl who lacks the requisite charm for placement in the pantheon of young, precocious, cinematic talent).

The plot here (if there is one) concerns Toni's desire to join the Lionesses Dance Team, an all female pre-pubescent/teenage dance group that specializes in competitive dance drills. Toni finally makes the team, despite opposition from two older girls, who dislike outsiders infringing on their turf.

In addition to the focus on choreography, there's the artificial intrusion of a plot point concerning some of the girls felled by seizures, fainting spells, which may or may not be blamed on contaminated drinking water inside the gym. The introduction of the "Fits"—the aforementioned seizures—does little to evoke suspense and awkwardly attempts to link the film's narrative to the horror genre.

What then has captivated the critics about this very slight bauble of a film? Ty Burr, writing in the Boston Globe describes Toni's experience as a "rite of passage"—she's particularly impressed with a scene such as this one for some reason: " Toni piercing her ears in the community center's bathroom as her friends comment and help out."

The NY Times critic, Mahnola Dargis, likes it because it's free of controversy: "The miracle of the movie is that, like Toni, it transcends blunt, reductive categorization partly because it's free of political sloganeering, finger wagging and force-fed lessons."

Noel Murray writing in the A.V. Club feels that Toni's "awkward puberty" is a revelation: "For Toni, who practices and practices—fruitlessly—to move as gracefully and throw shade as fiercely as her peers, this new level of badass womanhood represents something else she may never be able to attain. The best she can do is to keep honing her own private, personal hybrid of fighting and stepping, while waiting for some inexplicable external force to define who she's going to be."

Only Nikola Grozdanovic in IndieWire is on to something when he writes that Holmer is walking a very thin line between "special" and "disposable." Grozdanovic is perhaps the only brave enough critic to draw this damning conclusion about The Fits: " The emotional investment, fully rounded characters, and engaging events that are needed to make the film work on all fronts simply isn't there. Three writers (Holmer, Saela Davis, and Lisa Kjerluff) are credited for what turns out to be the film's Achilles' heel; and at some point on the way, it gets irreparably sprained."

When all is said and done, The Fits is really a documentary masquerading as a short feature film. The subject matter is so slight that I wonder why its director was drawn to it in the first place. Director Holmer is guilty of perhaps a neophyte's hubris. With all the good scripts out there, why not work with someone who has an established track record or an exceptionally talented newcomer? Instead, it's the old indie film canard—a technical virtuoso attempting to develop a visually impressive but inert, intellectually barren script.

I guess I'm just not the right audience member to quite understand it all.

[Hellmant · 7/10 · 3 March 2017]

'THE FITS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Low-budget indie drama, that was a huge hit with critics last year. It's about an 11-year-old tomboy that's really struggling to fit into a girls' dance troupe, when the girls begin to suffer from an unexplained epidemic of seizure like fits. The film was co-written and directed by Anna Rose Holmer, in her feature film debut, and it stars newcomer Royalty Hightower. The movie was made on a budget of just $168,000 and it still managed to become one of the best reviewed films of last year (with critics). I enjoyed it, but obviously not as much as most of the critics have.

Toni (Hightower) is an 11-year-old girl, living in Cincinnati, who trains regularly at a Community Center boxing gym, with her brother Jermaine (Da'Sean Minor). One day she notices a girls' dance troupe practicing at the same gym, and she decides she might want to join them. After her brother talks her into it, Toni attends tryouts for the team. As she then attempts to fit in with the other girls, they randomly begin having unexplained violent fits, and it appears some sort of an epidemic is occurring!

The film starts out like a coming-of-age urban drama, and then it morphs into something else. There definitely appears to be a lot of symbolism going on in it, for real life problems and issues, but I'm not sure what the point of the whole movie is. Still, it is really well shot and acted. I'll admit it's definitely a well made movie, I guess I'm just not the right audience member to quite understand it all.

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D9ZNHDah5M

This small movie turns out to be a nothingburger. I wish I had skipped it.

[TxMike · 9 May 2020]

I found this movie on Amazon streaming. The premise seems interesting and some reviews made it seem worthwhile.

When it was over I was totally underwhelmed. An 11-yr-old girl is training to be a boxer and she decides to join the school dance team. In the midst of all this girls at times pass out, for no apparent reason. The best part of the movie is at the very end when the dance team, in pretty uniforms, are doing a routine in the drained and dry Olympic size swimming pool.

When you have an independent, artsy movie like this it must have very particular meaning to the filmmaker, but if the movie fails to convey that meaning to the viewer then it is not really a success. This one is not a success, at least not in my viewing of it. Now I wish I had skipped it.

The Fits has clear directorial intention, but the link between the two main themes of the movie is not clear

[andrewroy-04316 · 7/10 · 9 March 2020]

I really like the direction of The Fits - each scene serves a clear purpose with no filler, and the focus is narrow and specific, providing a clear atmosphere for our main character rather than trying to show every element of her life. It seems like a solid childhood/coming of age story of a girl raised in an intense boxing culture and then finds a dance culture she loves, but the other main theme of the fits does not seem to relate. It seems like a socioeconomic point - that these young black girls in the dance troupe are the only ones contracting the fits, so people care less about it, but even that point isn't clearly made. What does it reveal about Toni that she is getting into the dance culture and seems emotionally unaffected by others getting the fits? It's well shot and I love the tight feel of the film, but I need a little more clarity in the key ideas of the film to be fully satisfied.

Interesting..

[VeganVag · 9/10 · 19 February 2021]

I came across this unknown movie today, decided to give it a go, where I really enjoyed this slow burn of something I felt were young girls conjuring up ancestral African spirits through their powerful movements in their dance routine, and because the main character was doing it to her own beat, as we were able to see in the beginning, was a strong girl who could do "pull-ups", and fighter too, that spirit was eventually able to take flight without causing her to experience The Fits , which is why she became the lead dancer in the end.

What A Strange Little Movie.

[chicagopoetry · 7/10 · 30 August 2016]

This 68 minute film (not counting credits) is acted out nearly entirely by female children. They are high school children I guess, although some of them seem much younger than others, so maybe it's one of those high schools that has a "junior high" included. Anyway, all the girls are trying out and / or practicing for some kind of dance group that they have in this particular school. It's not cheer leading and it's not pom poms -- it's just, dance. I don's know if this is a real thing or not but whatever, that's what they're doing. So, some of the girls are experiencing convulsions and fainting. Why? I don't know and neither will you after watching this film. And that's about it. That's the plot. There's not much more to it. But, somehow this little gem of a film is completely watchable, not just because of the amazing feat of getting so many child actor to act so naturally that you'll wonder if they are even acting at all or if someone had a hidden camera in a real school somewhere, but because the flow of the film seems like real life events occurring. I mean, don't expect this film to be Step It Up or Stomp The Yard; it's much too low budget and abstract to be your typical arts as sports film. But if you're ready for an amazing achievement shot on what must have been a shoestring budget, relish what this strange little movie has to offer.

The Fits

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 6 September 2023]

Tells the story of 11 year old Toni (Royalty Hightower) who helps out at her brother's boxing gym but takes an interest in the dance school that takes place in the same building and joins in only to find that one by one the girls in the group collapse and gave fits.

This is a strange, micro budget movie that seems to be talking about the struggles of growing into puberty, competing and being alone etc on a practical level but also as a metaphor based on Toni's interactions with both the boys and the girls whose behaviour and performances supported by elaborate sounds and music, seem to drive her forward. In that sense it's all a bit heavy and complex for a Friday night, but it nonetheless a quite hypnotic experience.

One shouldn't have to work this hard to figure it out

[asc85 · 4/10 · 22 October 2016]

While the professional critics seemed to be falling all over themselves that this movie is a masterpiece, I feel somewhat relieved and encouraged that most non-professional critics had a similar reaction as mine, which is that it wasn't very good.

We're all waiting to see the ending that will hopefully make sense of what we saw, and instead, I was even more confused. Even doing some online research to figure out what it all means, I have seen nothing that explains this in a satisfactory way. Coming-of-age? Of course. The lives of underprivileged children struggling to better themselves? Yep. But the problem is that it seems that the "fits" are a metaphor for something bigger, and Toni's final scene is also a metaphor for something bigger, but I honestly have no idea.

It's great that the film is only 72 minutes long, but that's about it. For most people (excluding professional critics, of course), I can almost guarantee that you're going to be stunned at the high critical acclaim, and wishing you did something else with your 72 minutes.

THEY LOOK LIKE ASTRONAUTS

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 13 June 2019]

Excuse me while I do my Tom Hanks in "Big" impersonation, raise my hand and say, "I don't get it."

Tone (Royalty Hightower) is an 11 year girl who works out in the school gym, does their smelly laundry, and fetches water. I never saw her go to class, but I am sure that is in there somewhere. She lives in the Cincinnati projects with her brother. She aspires to be on the school's dance team, some that looks like choreographed arm shaking and butt moving. I had a hard time determining who was dancing and who was having a "fit." Or yes, the girls are having fits, but not the boys. They suspect the water. That is pretty much it. Except for a few times, Tone can't dance a step, or keep up. A girl has a fit while the others crowd around with their cell phone cameras. I am sure there is some sort of "fitting in" symbolism or metaphor in the story, and apparently I missed the line that brought this to light...if there indeed was one. But I don't feel bad as it looks like everyone has missed it too. When the film was over, I was "It ends here? Something more during the credits?" Is this some secret sisterhood thing all of us males won't understand?

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.

The sound of one shoe dropping

[frukuk · 5/10 · 8 May 2019]

I was somewhat reminded of M Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" (2008): the almost continuous (though non-anxious) expectation that things were about to happen.

I don't feel like I understood this film, but I enjoyed it as I let it wash over me. A wonderful central performance from Royalty Hightower drew me in and made me want to go along for the ride.

LOL 55 MIN of nothing until the seizures start

[davidjonesmd · 1/10 · 8 July 2017]

I am pretty generous with movie reviews. this one is pretty crappy. 55 min of a little girl not fitting in, doing boxing then randomly doing dancing and not fitting in well with no explation. then 55 min later girls start to have seizure and float for no reason, and nobody questions it. many questions and no answers, then the movie ends. pretty dumb

Forgettable and Kind of Dumb

[SquigglyCrunch · 4/10 · 7 October 2016]

The Fits follows a young girl as she joins a dance team. Upon her sign up some of the other students begin to experience sudden seizures, or fits.

The shots were pretty great. The camera would often roll for more than a few minutes, making the actors memorize all their actions and lines for each scene instead of being loaded with cuts that don't require as much acting and memorization ability.

The thing is, though, that the lines that had to be memorized were few and far between. There's very little dialogue in this movie, so as far as that area is concerned none of the actors were particularly challenged I'm sure. As for action, yes, there was a lot of that. There were often lengthy shots of the main character going through the same dance routine over and over. Of course, there was room for error as she was just practicing, and it was always the same dance, but it was pretty impressive regardless.

However, the movie falls short on several levels. First of all, the actors aren't actually all that good, despite their effort. The lead actress, Royalty Hightower, is pretty good for a child actor, but everyone else falls pretty flat. They just aren't nearly as convincing, and thus when we as the audience are supposed to care about them we simply can't. I didn't, anyway.

The story itself was actually really intriguing to me, but it was so boring in actuality. As it progresses it slows more and more until it's just a straight-up boring movie. The way the story is presented, however, is unoriginal, dumb, and often formulaic. It's more focused on the main characters acting like little girls and having fun than it is about the fits themselves, despite the title of the film being just that. The fits are actually really not that important. Without knowing the title or plot synopsis of this movie I would not have guessed that the fits were actually supposed to be important. It's a coming-of- age movie so I understand that good titles may be hard to come by, but the fits could have had more significance regardless.

There's this kind of stupid scene at the end where floating happens when it shouldn't be, and it looks hilariously fake. I actually laughed out loud at this scene. Whether or not it was actually fake, I don't know, but it looked awful and didn't make any sense.

There are a handful of parts scattered through this movie where characters act so in-sync with each other that it ends up taking the audience out of the movie more than it does anything for it. It makes it feel fake. Mind you there were only a few of these scenes, but they were still distracting enough to make them hard to ignore.

Overall The Fits is kind of stupid, and a largely forgettable movie. I understand what the movie was trying to do, and I think it was kind of cool what it did with symbolism and all that, but it just lacked in it's ability to present itself well enough as both a functioning and original story and a symbolic one. As for the stupid floating scene, I'm sure it means something, but the movie gave me no reason to care enough to put any more thought into it than I already had. In the end I wouldn't recommend this movie.