Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySam Firstenberg
Written by
  • Charles Parker
  • Allen DeBevoise
  • Jan Ventura
  • Julie Reichert
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHanania Baer
Edited by
  • Sally Allen
  • Bert Glatstein
  • Bob Jenkis
  • Marcus Manton
  • Barry Zetlin
Music byMichael Linn
Production
company
Distributed byTriStar Pictures[1]
Release date
  • December 19, 1984 (1984-12-19)
[1]
Running time
94 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3 million[2]
Box office$15.1 million (US/Canada)[1]

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo is a 1984 American dance musical film directed by Sam Firstenberg.[3] It is a sequel to the 1984 breakdancing film Breakin'. Electric Boogaloo was released seven months after its predecessor by TriStar Pictures. In some international locations the film was released under the title Breakdance 2: Electric Boogaloo. Another sequel, Rappin' (also known as Breakdance 3) was made but had an unconnected plot and different lead characters – only Ice-T features in all three films.

The subtitle "Electric Boogaloo" has entered the popular culture lexicon as a snowclone nickname to denote an archetypal sequel.

Plot

The three main dancers from Breakin' – Kelly "Special K" Bennett (Lucinda Dickey), Orlando "Ozone" Barco (Adolfo Quinones), and Tony "Turbo" Ainley (Michael Chambers) – struggle to stop the demolition of a community recreation center by a developer who wants to build a shopping mall. Viktor Manoel, Ice-T, Lela Rochon and Martika also appear as dancers.

Cast

  • Lucinda Dickey as Kelly "Special K" Bennett
  • Adolfo "Shabba Doo" Quiñones as Orlando "Ozone" Barco
  • Michael "Boogaloo Shrimp" Chambers as Tony "Turbo" Ainley
  • Susie Coelho (listed as Susie Bono) as Rhonda
  • Harry Caesar as Byron
  • Sabrina Garcia as Lucia
  • Peter MacLean as Mr. Douglas
  • Lu Leonard as Head Nurse
  • Ken Offson as Randall
  • John Christy Ewing as Mr. Bennett (Kelly's father)
  • Jo de Winter as Mrs. Bennett (Kelly's mother)
  • Herb Mitchell as Stanley
  • Sandy Lipton as Mrs. Snyder
  • Vidal Rodriguez as Coco
  • Ice-T as Rapper "Ice-T"
  • Cooley Jackson/Jaxson as Featured Street Dancer TKO
  • John LaMotta as a Policeman
  • Steve "Sugarfoot" Notario as Strobe
  • Kimberly McCullough as Kimberly
  • Martika (listed as Marta Marrero) as Kid
  • Tyler Birch

Critical reception

Like its predecessor, Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo received mostly negative reviews from critics.[4][5] New York Press film critic Armond White considered it to be "superb"[6] and Roger Ebert gave the film a three out of four star rating.[7] As of December 2017, Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 29% based on 7 reviews.[8]

Box office

The film grossed $2,921,030 in its first 5 days starting December 21, 1984, playing at 717 theaters in the United States and Canada[9] and went on to gross $15.1 million in the United States and Canada,[1] less than half that of its predecessor. Despite this, it is considered to be a success financially, due to making back over three times its budget.

Soundtrack

Like its predecessor, much of the film's soundtrack was provided by Ollie & Jerry, comprising the duo Ollie E. Brown and Jerry Knight. The title track, "Electric Boogaloo", reached number 45 on the R&B charts.[10]

  1. "Electric Boogaloo" – Ollie & Jerry
  2. "Radiotron" – Firefox
  3. "Din Daa Daa" – George Kranz
  4. "When I.C.U." – Ollie & Jerry
  5. "Gotta Have the Money" – Steve Donn
  6. "Believe in the Beat" – Carol Lynn Townes
  7. "Set it out" – Midway
  8. "I Don't Wanna Come Down" – Mark Scott
  9. "Stylin' Profilin'" – Firefox
  10. "Oye Mamacita" – Rags & Riches

Charts

Chart performance for Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[11] 51
UK Albums (OCC)[12] 34
US Billboard 200[13] 52
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 25

Home video releases

On April 15, 2003, MGM Home Entertainment released Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo as a bare-bones DVD. On April 21, 2015, Shout! Factory released the film, along with Breakin', as a double feature Blu-ray.

Legacy

The subtitle "Electric Boogaloo", originally a reference to a funk-oriented dance style of the same name, entered the popular culture lexicon in the 2000s decade as a snowclone nickname to denote an archetypal sequel.[15] The usual connotation is of either a ridiculous sequel title, or of the follow-up to an obscure or eclectic film (or other work).[16][17] The rock band Five Iron Frenzy titled their fourth album Five Iron Frenzy 2: Electric Boogaloo and the mathgrind band The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza titled their sophomore album Danza II: Electric Boogaloo.[18] The band Minus the Bear features the song "Get Me Naked 2: Electric Boogaloo" on the album Highly Refined Pirates. An episode of the television show It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was titled "Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo".[19] Other news articles and media have used the Electric Boogaloo subtitle, and it has also become an Internet meme.[18] A documentary about the Cannon Group was released in 2014 called Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films of which Breakin' and Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo were featured.[20] In the movie Kicking and Screaming, Grover's promiscuous partners after a breakup with a girl named Jane are collectively rereferred to as "Jane 2: Electric Boogaloo."[21] The third volume of the Pokémon graphic novel series Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu by Toshihiro Ono is known in English as Pokémon: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo.[22]

As early as 2012, right-wing extremists in the United States began using the term "boogaloo" (or simply "boog") as a dog whistle to describe a rebellion against the American government, implying a desire for a "sequel" to the first American Civil War, coming to widespread attention in late 2019.[23][24][25] Groups and individuals subscribing to this ideology are part of the boogaloo movement, who are often referred to colloquially as "boogaloo boys" or "chuds."[26][27][28]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  2. ^ "How Boyle Heights Became a Dance Battleground for Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". April 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". TCM database. Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  4. ^ Variety Staff (December 31, 1983). "Review: Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Variety. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  5. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 19, 1984). "Breakin 2 Electric Boogaloo (1984) Screen: 'Breakin' 2'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  6. ^ White, Armond (August 4, 2010). "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". New York Press. Archived from the original on January 7, 2015. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  7. ^ Ebert, Roger (January 1, 1984). "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
  8. ^ "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Domestic 1984 Weekend 51". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  10. ^ "Electric Boogaloo". Billboard. January 26, 1985.[permanent dead link]
  11. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 283. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  13. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  14. ^ "Soundtrack Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Zimmer, Ben (August 9, 2007). "Phrasal Patterns 2: Electric Boogaloo". OUPblog. Oxford University Press. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Nashawaty, Chris (December 22, 2007). "The 25 Worst Sequels Ever Made". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 1, 2017. No one ever sets out to make a bad movie. But it happens. A lot. Especially when there's a 2, a III, or an Electric Boogaloo in the title. Hollywood's mania for sequels is a relatively new development.
  17. ^ Harvey, Dennis (January 29, 2004). "Review: 'You Got Served'". Variety. Retrieved May 9, 2007.
  18. ^ a b Patches, Matt (December 22, 2014). "How 'Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo' Became a Movie and Then a Meme". Grantland. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  19. ^ Fowler, Matt (January 6, 2016). "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: "Chardee MacDennis 2: Electric Boogaloo" Review". ign.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  20. ^ Foundas, Scott (September 9, 2014). "Toronto Film Review: 'Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films'". variety.com. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
  21. ^ Kicking and Screaming (1995) - IMDb, retrieved April 6, 2023
  22. ^ "Pokémon Comics". Viz Communications. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  23. ^ Miller, Cassie (June 5, 2020). "The 'Boogaloo' Started as a Racist Meme". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
  24. ^ Zadrozny, Brandy (February 19, 2020). "What is the 'boogaloo'? How online calls for a violent uprising are hitting the mainstream". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  25. ^ Woodward, Alex (May 30, 2020). "Why far-right protesters are wearing Hawaiian print". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  26. ^ "The Boogaloo: Extremists' New Slang Term for A Coming Civil War". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  27. ^ "Cyber Swarming, Memetic Warfare and Viral Insurgency: How Domestic Militants Organize on Memes to Incite Violent Insurrection and Terror Against Government and Law Enforcement". Network Contagion Research Institute. p. 2. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "What is the 'boogaloo'? How online calls for a violent uprising are hitting the mainstream". NBC News. February 19, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020.