Groove (2000) (R) No Rating

A night in the life of an underground rave.

Story

It’s Saturday night, and Groove is on. An all-night underground rave

where kids converge at an abandoned San Francisco warehouse, this is

where they let it all loose, where anything can happen. Berkeley student

Colin plans to propose to girlfriend Harmony at Groove and asks

reluctant roomie David to join them. Once there, the scene intimidates

David, but after he takes ecstasy with his pals, hey, the kids are all

right.

Acting

A collection of unknowns one step above film school friends comprise the

cast of this ultra-low budget production, with the exception of a

woefully underused Rachel True (from "The Craft," the only recognizable

face). There is no thorough intro to this large collection of

characters, thus little empathy for them. Still, Hamish Linklater

(David) gives a nice performance as the identifiable amateur and Lola

Glaudini (as raver Leyla) shows true charisma and comfort in front of

the camera.

Direction

Though he starts off on shaky ground, first-time helmer Greg Harrison

does an excellent job capturing the energy and vibe of the underground

rave scene. The plot, on the other hand, is as memorable as your average

techno/trance single. What’s important here is the vibe, and

Harrison delivers it with minimal conflict (given that your local

theater has great speakers), showing all aspects of the scene, from the

top secret warehouse location and orgiastic "chill room" to the

adrenaline rush of the dance floor and the superstar DJ’s point of view

(building the perfect mix).

Bottom Line

If you like to rave, you’ll dig the grooves and identify with the scene.

Otherwise, just head to the video store and rent "Go."