Directed by actor Rick Gomez in his feature filmmaking debut and co-written with actor Steve Zahn, the sweet yet uneven dramedy “She Dances” is a proud family affair both on screen and off. When the title credits read “Introducing Audrey Zahn” at the start, the effect is undeniably disarming — this is papa Zahn, among the friendliest faces of many an ensemble piece, swiftly nipping any “nepo baby” talk in the bud by enthusiastically supporting his talented daughter, and starring alongside her too.

Young Zahn justifies that pride throughout “She Dances,” which traces the story of a father and daughter as they navigate domestic trauma during a road trip, and mend their broken bond in the process. The stilted writing and direction, sadly, leave a lot to be desired: Emotions are under-explored and the humor misfires, with a perfectly capable cast asked to deliver some truly clunky lines. (An elongated gag about a group of parents complimenting each other’s pants, for instance, is a head-scratcher.) But the two Zahns — especially newcomer Audrey — bring enough charisma and intrigue to rise above the film’s shortcomings.

They play teenager Claire and her estranged dad Jason (Zahn), who is tasked with driving his daughter and her best friend Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler, “Dance Moms”) to an out-of-state dance competition when his ex-wife Deb (Rosemarie DeWitt, barely in the film) has to stay behind to address a family emergency. In the midst of selling his artisanal distillery which he owns with his best friend Brian (Ethan Hawke), Jason is nervous about reuniting with his daughter at such an unideal time, while neither Claire nor Kat is all that eager to be stuck in a car with a middle-aged square and his dated taste in music. But in due course, we learn that there is a lot more behind these hushed tensions: Jason still grieves the loss of his son Jack, a painful time for the family that ended his marriage and left Claire in limbo, with Kat holding her hand through it all.

From getting delayed due to a flat tire, to an annoying reservation mix-up at the hotel they were supposed to be staying at (the kids deserve all the credit here for not throwing a fit), Gomez and Zahn’s script requires the trio to brave a variety of awkward situations. But the clumsy writing often shows its seams, especially when trying to capture the nuances of teen-speak with all its shrugs and eye-rolls, and inelegantly suggesting (but never actually addressing) Jason’s possible struggles with alcohol. Still, there is something good-natured about the familial intimacy that “She Dances” occasionally captures between the Zahns. This onscreen collaboration clearly means a great deal to the duo on a personal level, and witnessing that is pleasantly touching, like watching a father-daughter dance at a wedding.

But the film overstays its welcome, with an artificial quality evident in both the labored dialogue and the aggressively fake mid-century production design of the motel the trio eventually settles at. The whole thing feels engineered to show us Claire dancing in a number of beautifully choregraphed sequences, where the younger Zahn (a talented dancer credited for choreographing Hawke’s 2023 film “Wildcat”) shines, with Ziegler an equally wonderful dance partner. But it’s confusing how Claire is allowed to continue the competition in a solo routine after Kat suffers an unfortunate accident — aren’t there certain rules in this contest around how individual mistakes reflect on a team? It’s not the first time the film overlooks such details in the hope that we’ll suspend our disbelief, while not giving us much reason to do so.

Elsewhere, the script introduces a “Bring It On”-style competitive storyline between Claire and a rigidly disciplined dancer (Haley Fish) that the girls have nicknamed Dolph, as in Lundgren — a playful but implausible “Rocky IV” reference that reflects the writers’ (and this critic’s) generational interests more than that of the young characters they have written. Still, this narrative thread enlivens and deepens “She Dances” with the lovely suggestion that we all belong in multiple familial communities at any given time — those that raise us, and those we build for ourselves through moments of mutual understanding and generosity.

In the end, the only lasting memory of “She Dances” will be the one spelled out in its opening credits —introducing us to Audrey Zahn, before she inevitably pirouettes her way to greener cinematic pastures.