REVIEW: ‘Best of the Best’ College Coming-Of-Age Right

Best of the Best is a coming-of-age dramedy centered on two childhood friends, Maya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and Anjali (Priyanka Kedia), as they begin their first year at UCLA. Fresh off becoming a meme after a tech malfunction at a dance competition, the duo decide to start their college careers by joining the UCLA competitive Bollywood-fusion dance team and test their friendship along the way. 

In order to get acclimated to college life, Maya and Anjali decide to take Anjali’s mom (Janina Gavankar), Rekha’s advice and get involved in the Desi student groups. While the jokes about academics fly, the duo decide to put away their epic defeat at the talent show (even if the TikTok keeps popping up).

At the audition for the dance troupe, their skill shines. They can learn quickly, are creative, and take up the spotlight. Where Anjali hits precision, Maya dances with a freedom and creativity that is infectious. Once the two have their spot on the team, popularity starts to rear its head.

Netflix’s Best of the Best is a tried-and-true coming-of-age story, and the Desi lens makes it stand out. 

Despite both young women excelling at dance, Maya is too outspoken for the popular kids. Anjali’s creativity is against conformity and traditionalism, and it sets her apart. Only when Maya talks about her own style and her inclination for spectacle, she comes off as abrasive, and the rift between her and the popular kids of the troupe widens. Only, instead of being on her best friend’s side, Anjali is standing arm in arm with the students who Maya. 

Still, the troupe works together as much as possible as they aim for the goal of winning the U.S. Championship called “Best of the Best.” The competition is far more raucous and cutthroat than the best friends ever imagined, and with USC dominating the competition recently, the UCLA dance group can help but fight more than come together. 

Directed by Lena Khan and written by Prashanth Venkataramanujam and Hasan Minhaj, Best of the Best shows the life of Desi college students and gives audiences a peek into their communities. But the take away, through a specifcic cultural lens, is as universal as they come. Two friends who have been together all of their lives stumble through growing up, and wind up remembering why they held onto each other in the first place. 

With traditional dance, modern Bollywood flair, and American hip-hop Best of the Best’s spectacle is a must watch. 

While we’ve seen this story told many times before, Best of the Best’s endearing core is also mixed with killer music and kinetic dance sequences. To put it simply, this Netflix Original film is a take on 2000s coming-of-age cinema with comedy and heart akin to Mean Girls (2004), with dance competitions and choreography that will make any millennial remember Step Up. 

In fact, Best of the Best feels close to timeless, with some of the best moments pulled from films like Honey, Bring It On, and just enough of its own magic to not be in any specific shadow. And this is where dance comes into focus. From the music to the modern Bollywood-fusion choreography, Best of the Best goes all in on performance. Each and every dance sequence in the film, whether a big competition or a smaller moment of creativity, is something that demands you pay attention. 

Best of the Best’s production value and cinematography for every dance break is unbeatable. Taking notes from how Bollywood dance sequences are shot, the film never wastes a moment to do the most or use the entirety of a set to pull you into the spectacle.

This starts with the opening duet performance from Anjali and Maya, moves through a dance battle on campus, and many a montage of developing the dance that will bring UCLA the championship in the “Best of the Best” competition. 

Lena Khan, Prashanth Venkataramanujam and Hasan Minhaj’s coming-of-age dramady lands.

Beyond the stunning dance choreography, friendship holds the film together. More importantly, Maya and Anjali’s friendship always feels grounded, not just in the film’s big emotional turning points. Their friendship, their sisterhood, feels authentic when they comfort each other, support each other, have misunderstandings, fight, and ultimately make up.

Both young women have blind spots, but they also make each other better. They’re at odds, but they’re not entirely aware of it. Instead, their small choices begin to stack into a mountain of seperation between them two and nether of the young women have the vocabulary to say anything. Ultimately, they’re stumbling their way into adulthood.

Netflix’s Best of the Best captures the awkwardness that happens when you shift from high school to college. How priorities shift and friendships strain, but more importantly it shows the audience how to work through that selfish haze and come out of the other side. Friends can grow apart, people can make mistakes, and in Best of the Best everyone evolves. 

Best of the Best feels like a movie firmly placed in the early-aughts, and it’s better for it.

The character growth that both Maya and Anjali undergo is tied to the other, without being stifled. Each of the young women processes their own college-aged issues, but the interconnectedness of their lives is what makes Best of the Best feel like something tangible as a viewer. The duo grew up together, and as we get to see bits and pieces of their childhood friendship, you can’t help but just want them to be okay. 

But the loneliness that Maya begins to feel is partly of her own making, and the film is careful not to make every mistake stack up on her plate. Instead, Anjali’s own inability to see past her own problems or popularity clouds their friendship just as much.

Yes, Maya didn’t try to become friends with the new clique Anjali gravitated toward. And yes, Anjali didn’t stop moving forward enough to realize she was leaving her best friend, her sister, behind. As the two work through their conflict and realize how much they need to meet in the middle, Best of the Best sticks the landing.

Best of the Best also avoids the current trend of highlighting familial relationships and instead focuses primarily on friendship. While Anjali and her mother’s strained relationship is featured in the film, it’s not the primary focus. Another element that the film doesn’t focus on entirely is romance. 

While both Anjali and Maya have budding romances, they’re not the focus of the film or their development. While Maya’s eventual crush mirrors her own self-discovery, Anjali’s is more of a dream that finally comes true. Still, the romances exist as a part of the story without ever overshadowing a sisterhood that has lasted their entire lives. 

The core message of Best of the Best is simple. Friendship is a cornerstone of our lives, but we have to give as much as we take. We need to guard our bonds from petty competition, and still, we should be there for each other even when the world doesn’t think we should be. And most of all, we should talk. 

Ultimately, the film tells a universal coming-of-age story about growth and relationships through a Desi lens, and it’s better for it. For those who see themselves in the film, or who find kinship with its narrative, there is much to love in Best of the Best. 

Best of the Best is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.