A Chorus Line

"One singular sensation!"

1985 1h 58m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

48%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.2

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 207🥫48%Rotten Tomatoes●46Metacritic★6.2IMDB · 12,642

DramaMusic

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A group of dancers congregate on the stage of a Broadway theatre to audition for a new musical production directed by Zach. After the initial eliminations, seventeen hopefuls remain, among them Cassie, who once had a tempestuous romantic relationship with Zach. She is desperate enough for work to humble herself and audition for him; whether he's willing to let professionalism overcome his personal feelings about their past remains to be seen.

“One singular sensation!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Michael Douglas
Zach
Alyson Reed
Cassie
Terrence Mann
Larry
Gregg Burge
Richie
Vicki Frederick
Sheila
Michelle Johnston
Bebe
Audrey Landers
Val
Janet Jones
Judy

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Attenborough
Writers: Arnold Schulman
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Bloom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michael Douglas and Alyson Reed and Terrence Mann carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "One singular sensation!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0088915 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Attenborough directs. Ronnie Taylor behind the camera. Marvin Hamlisch scores. John Bloom cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 57% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Directed by Richard Attenborough, shot by Ronnie Taylor. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Marvin Hamlisch. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John Bloom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Michael Douglas and Alyson Reed and Terrence Mann carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "One singular sensation!".
8IMDB entry: tt0088915 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "musical", "stage show", "backstage", "urban setting".

The technical file

Cinematography: Ronnie Taylor
Original score: Marvin Hamlisch
Editing: John Bloom
Production design: Patrizia von Brandenstein
Costume design: Faye Poliakin
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $14,202,899
Return: 57% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: A Chorus Line (1985)
Rotten Tomatoes: 48% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 46/100
IMDB rating: 6.2/10 · 12,642 votes
MPAA: PG-13

Awards

Nominated for 3 Oscars. 8 nominations total

Also by

Richard Attenborough

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-04-11
★ 7/10
For what it is--a slice-of-life of a group of people, trying to make the big-time and at least be able to say that they were on Broadway--it's a fine work. I admit I haven't seen the stage play--which many sources say is far superior to this filmic adaptation. I'm rather surprised that: a) Michael Douglas gets star status here, or is even involved. He doesn't dance here. The film would have worked so much better if it showed his character showing some dance moves and getting across to the dancers what he wanted. Both his character would have connected better with the dancers, and he would have connected better with filmgoers; and b) that Lord Richard Attenborough got involved with this: It's definitely not his forte or cup of tea. Perhaps he wanted to expand his directorial palette, or that some of his influences were masters of the genre, such as Lubitsch or Minnelli. Personally, I wish I knew, for he has done much better work in his career. Overall, not one of the better of contemporary (post-1970) musicals, but worth seeing once, if renting or seeing that it's coming on TV. Not a top purchase priority, unless you are a Douglas or Attenborough completest, and then prepare to be disappointed.
CinemaSerf2023-07-21
★ 6/10
Were it not for Marvin Hamlisch's "Surprise, Surprise" then I think this film would be even more forgettable than it actually is. Michael Douglas is the hard-to-please Broadway director "Zach" who is casting the dance ensemble for his latest production. Aided by his sidekick "Larry" (Terrence Mann) he pits the would-be's through their paces with rigorous routines and some rather invasive questioning about their lives, families and peccadilloes. I did see this on stage and felt it a rather flat and introspective of an industry that should usually keep it's casting practices under wraps. Here, Richard Attenborough attempts to lay these bare for the big screen and ends up with a rather dull, processional series of footwork demonstrations and sob-stories that are pretty wearisome to endure after a repetitive first half an hour. Alyson Reed clutters the thing up further as the down-on-her-luck "Cassie" who is looking for favours from a man who seems pretty impervious to many of the decent aspects of human nature. The stage setting is too sterile to engage for long, and the characterisations fit just about every stereotype in the book as these youngsters vie for this latest opportunity to shine (and eat!). I didn't hate this, but it's really a rather disappointing foray into the potentially fascinating world of who wins and who doesn't in this highly competitive and fickle environment!