Groove (2000)

(In theaters, December 2000) Don’t bother looking for a plot: This is basically a “let’s have a rave” film featuring pretty much what you’d expect as associated events: A romance that takes too much time, a naive guy who takes too much drugs, a police raid, a DJ that gets his groove back, two couples with relationship problems, etc… There’s some good music, though not quite enough. At least the main romance features appealing protagonists, and there are some pretty good jokes here and there. It does present a rather good impression of rave culture, though it ends up being a bit too sweet and, yes, conventional. (While Groove makes Go‘s rave scenes look like a preppy party, it’s itself seriously outclassed by the contemporary Human Traffic as an exploration of the hows, whys and weirds of the party scene.) The end film looks a lot like a director’s first feature (which it is) where an inexperienced crew gets some experience. At least they show some good potential: The credit scene is impressive in how it quickly introduces all the main characters, and the rave scenes do have an inherent energy.