Customer Reviews

Step Up (Widescreen Edition)

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is one of the most delightful films we have seen in a long time. The story is warm, and meaningful, with excellent character development, plot, acting, dancing, and music. And it teaches morals and ethics, to boot.

Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) is a down and out, teenage foster kid, stuck in a family with a harried foster mom, struggling to support the family; a beer guzzling, TV-addicted, couch potato "dad" and two younger foster siblings, just as lost as he is. He hangs in his run down Baltimore neighborhood with Mac Carter (Damaine Radcliff) and his little brother Skinny (De'Shawn Washington), whose mother works at night, which is when the boys routinely get into trouble.

Tyler and Mac regularly jack cars and sell them at the local chop shop. On Saturday nights, they drop in at a neighborhood night club, populated by the occasional gunslinger, but with the best break dancing anywhere. And Tyler is a natural.

One weekend night, after being threatened with a gun and fleeing the club, Tyler, Mac and Skinny run through the streets, kicking cans and carelessly tossing refuse. Then one of them accidentally hits the window at the Maryland School of the Arts. Skinny decides to smash the window completely, and before long, the boys are in. They ogle the halls and showcases until Tyler finds the auditorium and heads for the stage, awed by the costumes, sets and props, which which the boys are soon dancing--and smashing.

Tyler takes the rap for his friends, who flee into the night. Sentenced to 200 hours of community service, he at first wants nothing more than to finish his time, mopping floors, changing lights and collecting trash.

But while making repairs on a ladder one afternoon, he witnesses a series of inept male dancers trying out as the partner for Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan). They trip, they fall, they drop her. They stink. She goes through them all, and then wonders what to do. She needs a stand in until her regular partner recovers from his sprained ankle. Tyler offers to catch her. She hesitates, but when he convinces her that he's serious, she is surprised to see that he not only can catch her--but do it gracefully.

An appeal to school director Gordon (Rachel Griffiths) wins her hesitant support for Tyler to temporarily take the role. Over the next few weeks, he helps her to rework the piece, jazzing it up, and adding several more dancers he has recruited from around the school. He also convinces her to let her talented friend Miles Darby (Mario), revise the music, after Nora's erstwhile boyfriend Brett Dolan (Josh Henderson) drops Miles from his group to sign a New York recording contract.

There is some really original music here, some great dancing, and a wonderful plot, emphasizing the importance of friendships. It's a heartwarming story of success in the face of adversity, and tragedy. A great family film that teens especially will love.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Another worthwhile teenage film
That's set around a dance
A guy who grew up the hard way
And gets a second chance

He's basically a smart-mouthed punk
Just headed for disaster
By picking fights and boosting cars
He's gonna get there faster

While cleaning up at the Art School
He notices this girl
As luck would have it, he's the man
She needs to help her twirl

She's a driven dancing queen
Who needs to get it right
On and off and off and on
They practice, feud and fight

I'm sure you've guessed how this one ends
With dancing and romance
But something in it strikes a chord
It's worth more than a glance



Amanda Richards, January 20, 2007

I expected good things from this movie, and i was completely blown away! Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan are spectacular dancers! Channing Tatum is also a feast for the eyes, but we knew that after She's the Man. The movie had a great plot and a beautiful love story. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did and I highly suggest going to see it!

Here it is. My favorite movie star is Ginger Rogers. Anybody seen a Rogers & Astaire movie? Their films go like this...boy meets girl, boy dances with girl, boy loses girl, boy dances with girl (again), boy gets girl. Put all that in a movie with slammin' beats, an ambitious dance student (Jenna Dewan) and a freak at freestyle street dance (Channing Tatum) and you got "Step Up". You'll enjoy it. Like I did.

I thought this film was decent. I will agree with some of the complaints I've seen about the acting in the movie. The script is filled with every cliché under the sun, and just when you thought that something unpredictable might happen, it doesn't. Right from the beginning, when a character's younger brother is introduced, I said to myself, "Please don't make him be the lesson learned". Let's just say that every teen romance and ghetto flick plot line is rehashed to the exact detail, without a whiff of originality.

Channing Tatum performance was okay and not bad for someone who had worked for the Public Defender's Office specifically in juvenile court and plays his role as Tyler knowingly. In this movie he seems so insecure with himself until he hits the dance floor. At that moment he becomes the most confident person in the room because he has some serious skills. Nora (Jenna Darwin) just seems like your typical ballerina princess until she finally opens up about her life. The story is interesting enough to keep you in your seat until another dance scene. But, although the acting wasn't top notch I will say that the movie had an incredible moral lesson/theme if you will--about different 'worlds' coming together and how the view issues in life so differently. It also spends a lot of time on understanding differences in daily life and issues between both 'worlds.' In addition to this it teaches us about choices and accountability for our action.

I also did enjoy the booming soundtrack. This may be the first film that would work better as a 90 minute music video, and save us from either uninspired dialogue, or mis-delivered dialogue. Sadly, even the dancing doesn't compare to previous dance films like "Center Stage", "You Got Served", and probably "Honey" but that is even stretching it. At any rate, it's one of those movies that you have to see for yourself and step into.

The movie's plotline it is as 'cliche' as you can get. A troubled teenager who lives in a foster home gets himself in trouble (yet again!) but this time meets a gorgeous girl, falls in love, and also finds the meaning of life. I must also mention that the script and the direction of the movie was not so impressive, either. So, artistically, two stars would be a very generous rating for this movie. However, this is a movie about dancing. And to rate the movie's depiction of dancers 'dancing' I give it five stars. I would also give the casting director credit for casting the two main characters of this movie, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. Their vibrant and sexy nature completely draws us, the audience, into the screen and makes it a little more bearable for us to watch the weak plotline unfold. And then when they dance, it is simply amazing. The dancing, on its own, makes the movie worthwhile to watch. Unlike other movies about dancing, these actors both come from a dancing background and you can clearly see that in their performances in the movie. I also liked that the movie allows the actors to break into dancing a few times before the big finale, unlike other movies where you have to wait 'til the end to see the actors show off what they can do. Lastly, I read that Channing Tatum was one of the top 10 most googled people in the recent months. I think that is enough to tell you that he is sizzling HOT in this movie. ;-)

Channing Tatum as Tyler Gage gives a great performance in this fun movie. The basic idea is a bit contrived, but it works: a no-gooder teenager with a knack for rap is reluctantly coopted by a beautiful dancer in need of a partner. He will of course help her jazz up her act, she will make him a better man, and they will fall in love. Aside from annoying zigzags in Tyler's commitment (one slip is OK, but three?!), the script pulls us in. It is helped by a lot of dancing, not always great but always energetic. Rachel Griffiths is excellent in the minor role of the principal of the art school.

I had the strongest urge to break out in dance in the theater. I'm sure my husband would have just loved that. The main characters have some serious chemistry. The music and dance can appeal to you no matter what type of music you're into.

Cons: I refused to see this movie because I was (and still am) so tired of Hollywood snubbing hip-hop. The art of breaking and a lot of the dance that the main male character does was started in New York with Blacks and Latinos, and not just guys. In every hip-hop movie, there has been a White female lead and this one was no different. I knew the movie had something to do with ballet as well, but from the preview, it looked like another "Save the Last Dance." I was thrilled when "Idlewild" came out, and finally some sistas got to show off what they could do on the hip-hop dance floors as well. I refused to go see this movie off principle alone. Even "Breakin" and "Breakin 2" had a white female lead. It annoys me a great deal that even in this day and time, Hollywood is still so far behind and seems to take great joy in inaccuracy just to reach a broader audience. When hip-hop was created, it reached a massive audience without trying to appeal to everybody, so why is it that there has NEVER been a major hip-hop movie with a black female lead? Sistas break too! When I walk into a hip-hop club, I don't see a bunch of ballerinas poplocking and suddenly learning a dance that takes years to perfect, and that's exactly where I thought this movie was headed.

Pros: I saw a much longer preview for this movie this past weekend and knew that I was going to finally give in and rent it. I thought the main male character was so cute, especially in "Coach Carter," and from the looks of it, he could GET IT on the dance floor and he had charisma. Every single time he clenched his jaw or stared into the eyes of the female co-star, I was shouting at the t.v. "Kiss her! Please kiss her!"

I love musicals (be it hip-hop to jazz to blues to pop), so I'd already been curious about the movie, but the principle kept me from seeing it. I rented it last night and squealed with delight. Those two were such a cute couple, he was an excellent hip-hop dancer (not that 1-2-3 step type of deal either--he dances from the heart), I liked the end performance, and I love the way there was a twist to his background. Now I understand why he was the character that he was, and it's believeable. Even better, unlike "Save the Last Dance," both of these star characters REALLY can dance. I can't stand to see a musical where it looks like the dancers are counting steps. Dancing is something you have to feel in your soul. It's wild because I'm begging people to get me this movie for Christmas. Now how's that for a twist?

Cons (once seeing the movie): Mario isn't a very good actor, but he sure can work a hat! Skinny wasn't a very good actor either.

I took my 8yr old son and 14 yr old nephew to see this last night. It was mostly for them but I was unexpected surprised that I enjoyed it so much myself. Film delivered the subtle messages about "crime does not pay", "never give up and aspire to better with your life", "follow your parent's rules", "give everyone a fair chance", and more. Oh, did I mention that I REALLY enjoyed the dancing? I liked the way that you saw parts of the Main Dance Routine and felt you were being given a performance when the actual Main Dance Routine was done in its entirety at the end. My little men were up an dancing in the show when the credits were rolling. I really enjoyed this movie. I must also admit that CHANNING TATUM is a handsome youngman.