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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dance 5, Story 3, May 20, 2007
STOMP THE YARD comes as a pleasant surprise to those of us who have yet to be introduced to 'stepping' - a sport/dance form that is not break dancing, not hip-hop, not modern dance, not clogging, not ballet, but instead is an exhilarating display of rhythm, physical dexterity, and creative choreography that makes this little film well worth watching.
The story is minimal and hackneyed and serves basically as an outline for the dance performances. DJ (the enormously talented dancer/actor Columbus Short) is sent from Los Angeles to Atlanta's Truth University after his conviction for street brawling, a fight in which his brother (Chris Brown) was killed. Once on campus DJ is works for his uncle as a gardener and is soon courted for his step dance skills by two rival fraternities. One fraternity gains DJ's attention and he pledges. Of course there is the requisite love conflict (the beautiful Meagan Good as April), who just happens to be the girlfriend of the rival fraternity step leader (Darrin Henson), and the usual undercurrent of familial dichotomies between DJ's humble background and April's influential father bring the tension to the front: the result is DJ's triumphant performance in the annual stepping competition between the two fraternities. The ending is predictable but sensitive and with a message.
The real star of the film is the magnificently choreographed and executed dancing, performed by the actual cast members. Director Sylvain White and his choreographers center their attention on the big sequences and the result is very fine entertainment. In addition to the gifted Columbus Short and Darrin Henson the cast includes such fine actor/dancers as Brian J. White, Ne-Yo, Laz Alonzo, Oliver Ryan Best, Richmond Duain Martyn, Justin Hires, and many others. It is difficult to resist the excitement of the commitment of this fine cast to the introduction of step dancing to the public at large. So much talent! Grady Harp, May 07
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21 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some people seriously need to stop sipping on hatred., May 24, 2007
The story might be predictable...but the stomping is amazing. The big standout in the film is of course Columbus Short as a lead actor. Though he has many dancing and television credits on his resume, this film marks his first turn in a lead film role--and it is the perfect opportunity. Short is an above-average talent who possesses the kind of charm and screen presence that could make him a leading man for his generation. He plays the part of D.J., a teen-age dancer who battles competitively in Los Angeles until tragedy strikes. Eventually, he is sent by his mother to live in Atlanta with his uncle and aunt, who have helped him enroll in the historically Black Truth University. While D.J. takes classes and works at Truth, he is drawn to the culture of stepping at Black fraternities. He soon finds a way to mesh his talents with his new environment, while also pursuing a new love interest, April (Meagan Goode). Against the odds, D.J.--young, talented and arrogant-- is drawn into the competition of his life.
After watching this you will come to fine out that some musicians such as Ne-Yo and Chris Brown can be actors too. They both provided some comical relief and some pretty good acting I thought that "Stomp the Yard" was a good movie. Very entertaining, and the dancing was remarkable, but it had a deep inner message to go with it... for young and old alike! There is so much talent in our young African Americans but at times directed in the wrong direction. What was also likable and quite inspiring, is a scene in which the main character visits an honorary hall, filled with various pictures of national African-American figures affiliated with many well-known fraternities. Some of the people shown? Esther Rolle, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Martin Luther King, to name a few. This scene really gave me a sense of pride when I saw it, and a respect for the leaders of the past.
Though the electric dance routines give this movie its vibrant energy. It may not be representative of what happens on Black campuses or inside Black fraternities but it offers nuance about the campus stepping culture--new school versus old school, traditional versus styles influenced by hip hop and break dancing. I appreciate "Stomp the Yard" for trying to show a well-known culture in a respected community, but it might not go as deep as you might expect it to be other than that it's a good movie.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good, if tired, story and dancing worth watching again, April 28, 2008
This is an enjoyable movie. The actors all do a very good job -- no small feat considering some of the leads are dancers and not actors -- and of course, the dancing is all it's cracked up to be. The plot is mildly engaging, even though it's thoroughly predictable and has been done over and over. Sometimes characters seemed to change too quickly and do things that were out of character; but plot isn't really what this movie is about. This is a dancing film with a very simple conflict story thrown in -- the kind that usually drives low-brow sports comedies, of underdog team against a dynasty, and two members of those teams having a personal grudge.
Honestly, I didn't start off enjoying this film. I'm not hip enough to keep up with the gangsta dance battle that takes place at the beginning of the film, especially the way the camera was jerking around; I had a hard time distinguishing between dancers, etc. and was not anywhere near familiar enough with the dancing to have any kind of sense for who was better or why. But I did end up liking (not loving) the film by the end. And I do appreciate artistically the way the director deftly changed the whole look and mood of the movie from the dangerous street dancing in the opening's gangland LA to the more peaceful intensity of the rest of the movie's Georgia college setting. It helped lend a sense of repressed danger to Columbus Short's lead character that made the threats of his frat-boy enemies seem disingenuous.
Short, by the way, turns in a quiet performance in the most critical role that really glues the film together.
To summarize, this film is worth a look as a rental. Whether or not you want to own it would depend on how much you enjoy the dancing sequences.
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