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"Step Up" is yet another enjoyable addition to the teen dance movie genre. However, there is nothing here to differentiate it from dozens of other films, so it will probably only stand one viewing. The direction can sometimes appear amateurish, the performances aren't always three-dimensional, ... Read review
In the tradition of any number of stories where a boy from the wrong side of the tracks ... more
falls for a posh girl,Step Upfollows rebellious Tyler as he's forced to work with ballet dancer Nora to create a performance that could change both of their lives f...
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He's a defiant rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks. She's a privileged dancer ... more
for an elite performing arts school...Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) is on a road to nowhere until he meets Nora Clarke (Jenna Dewan) during community service at Mar...
In the tradition of any number of stories where a boy from the wrong side of the tracks ... more
falls for a posh girl,Step Upfollows rebellious Tyler as he's forced to work with ballet dancer Nora to create a performance that could change both of their lives f...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Simply designed for ease of use and movement by all the Tippitoes Step Up Stool adds to ... more
the bright but functional range of plastics for the Bathroom. With an anti-slip base to prevent sliding and a large surface for use into early childhood.
He's a defiant rebel from the wrong side of Baltimore's tracks. She's privileged dancer ... more
from an elite performing arts school. Their worlds couldn't be more different but when their fates collide, the sparks between them fly, igniting an exhilarating hip-hop fuelled fairy tale about making your one shot at an improbable dream come true.
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Advantages: Some nice choreography and a handful of decent performances Disadvantages: Utterly predictable, no chemistry between the leads and some bland turns
...he is usually half a step behind the professional dancers. He also has a tendency to pull all manner of ludicrous pouty faces when throwing shapes. He doesn't have much chemistry with his female co-star, but has a lovely rapport with the kids playing his foster siblings.
I suspect Jenna Dewan was chosen to play Nora on the strength of her dancing rather than her acting. Having previously appeared in "Take the Lead" and worked ... ...has the moves. However, she's no great shakes in the acting department. She doesn't have a very wide emotional range and subtlety is beyond her. She mainly comes across as a bratty, stuck-up madam that spends most of her time tense and frowning. She would appear fresh-faced, were it not for the excess of make-up and cosmetically adjusted smile. She is also too old for the role.
The supporting cast is an interesting mix. Aussie actress ... more
Having been caught breaking into a prestigious arts school, teenage hoodlum Tyler Gage is sentenced to community service at the school, acting as an unpaid handyman. There he meets ambitious dancer Nora, who's hard at work preparing for her senior showcase. But when her dance partner is injured, she has to find someone else to take his place. Talented street dancer Tyler steps in, but finds it hard to work with her perfectionism and demanding attitude. But little by little he learns to buckle down and makes real progress. Does he really have what it takes to be a professional dancer? Will the new direction his life is taking pull him away from his friends or save him from a life of crime?
Choreographer turned director Anne Fletcher makes a decent fist of an often visited teen sub-genre; the dance movie. From "Fame" and "Dirty Dancing" to "Take the Lead", it seems like there's always room for this kind of movie. It's not a terribly original format and as you might expect for Fletcher's directorial debut, it follows the template exactly. So you get the same old cycle of setbacks and triumphs, played out across a class divide and playing up the importance of self-belief if you really want to change your life for the better. Everything that happens is entirely predictable, but swift pacing and snappy choreography make it an enjoyable ride. She uses all the beginner's tricks to set the scene; juxtaposing the golden-hued privilege of the school with the grey-toned poverty of the kids in industrial areas. She uses multiple montages to show how Tyler and Nora spend their days (he cleaning the school, she auditioning replacements for her partner) before using the device to show how their rehearsals progress. Later on she inter-cuts three different situations to suggest the simultaneity of events. They are simple but effective, if somewhat unoriginal tools that clearly signpost the passage of time.
However, like most first time directors, Fletcher makes some elementary mistakes. The most serious are technical, where wide shots are sometimes slightly out of focus or scenes are shot from behind glass, which creates reflections. Worst of all, though she may be a choreographer by trade, Fletcher often doesn't focus enough on her dancers, so you miss out on the most exciting parts of routines because of where the edges of the frame lie. She also descends into cliché on many occasions; Tyler's introduction to the school looks like an excerpt from "Fame" as he walks down a corridor replete with singers and musicians practising their craft. There's the obligatory sunset dance sequence and the big finale where despite everything that's gone before it all comes together. But that doesn't stop the film from being enjoyable - it's utterly disposable entertainment, but falls into the category of guilty pleasure. So you'll be engaged through all hundred and four minutes; even if you have a sneaking suspicion that most of the kids look a little too grown-up to really be teenagers.
At first glance the screenplay by Duane Adler and Melissa Rosenberg seems derivative. But it becomes even more so when you discover Adler also wrote the similarly themed "Save the Last Dance" (the sequel to which he is currently working on). So it would appear he is very much a one-trick pony. In terms of plot it ticks all the clichéd boxes; boy from the wrong side of the tracks meets girls from a privileged family, he's involved in petty crime but has a good heart and a great talent, she is also very talented and has great ambition. They both come from broken families and find solace in dancing and in each other. He has friends that get into trouble, including one that will die tragically, spurring him on to success. They go through the usual cycle of ups and downs before emerging triumphant. The characters are the usual teen movie archetypes; the bad boy, the rich girl, the couple that should be together, the tough but fair teacher and the kid that tries too hard. So all the relationships are ready made and you know Tyler and Nora will get together in the end, despite all the obstacles in their way. There's nothing very exciting in terms of dialogue and you can pretty much predict when and where the "believe in yourself" speeches are going to come from.
Rising star Channing Tatum has just about enough charisma to pull off the role of Tyler Gage. That being said, it's hardly a stretch for him in acting terms, having played exactly the same kind of role in "Coach Carter", where basketball replaced dancing. But it's clear from the very start that he's about ten years too old for the role and though his dancing is relatively snappy, he is usually half a step behind the professional dancers. He also has a tendency to pull all manner of ludicrous pouty faces when throwing shapes. He doesn't have much chemistry with his female co-star, but has a lovely rapport with the kids playing his foster siblings.
I suspect Jenna Dewan was chosen to play Nora on the strength of her dancing rather than her acting. Having previously appeared in "Take the Lead" and worked as a professional dancer on P Diddy's tours, she certainly has the moves. However, she's no great shakes in the acting department. She doesn't have a very wide emotional range and subtlety is beyond her. She mainly comes across as a bratty, stuck-up madam that spends most of her time tense and frowning. She would appear fresh-faced, were it not for the excess of make-up and cosmetically adjusted smile. She is also too old for the role.
The supporting cast is an interesting mix. Aussie actress Rachel Griffiths is underused as the principal of the school, never getting beyond the harsh but fair stereotype. Former rapper Heavy D is good value as criminal don Omar, who balances his stereotypical street-level gangster character with some surprising words of wisdom to comic effect. R 'n' B singer Mario shows his acting chops as wannabe producer Miles, proving a likeable presence. De'Shawn Washington has plenty of attitude and talks the talk as mini gangsta Skinny.
The soundtrack contains all the usual suspects for this kind of movie. So we get the full roll-call of easy listening hip-hop, R 'n' B, old-school rap and syrupy soul every time a love scene crops up. There are Macy Gray remixes and even Prince makes a comeback. It's not very original and there's far less cutting edge urban music than you might expect. Aaron Zigman's original score doesn't do much other than fill the silences between tracks. For an urban feel he relies on laid-back electronic beats, guitars that are heavy on the wah-wah and metallic percussion. But when it comes to more serious scenes he reverts to brooding strings and harp flourishes.
The choreography throughout is what you might expect to see in any rap or R 'n' B video. So as far as the guys go it's very athletic; lots of jumps and flips with very definite movement that gives the routines real snap. The women are very precise but most clearly have a background in classical dance, so are that bit more sinuous than their male counterparts. But together they are sharp and sexy, even if there are too many attempts to tell stories in the big finale and Channing Tatum is a little behind in many of the sequences.
"Step Up" is yet another enjoyable addition to the teen dance movie genre. However, there is nothing here to differentiate it from dozens of other films, so it will probably only stand one viewing. The direction can sometimes appear amateurish, the performances aren't always three-dimensional, but the dance routines almost make up for it. If you accept it as purely disposable popcorn entertainment then there are worse movies you could see.
Advantages: good dancing Disadvantages: Average acting, weak and predictable storyline
...long before Tyler offers to step in. Nora has to clear it with the head teacher but soon Tyler is showing Nora that he can actually dance. There is some chemistry between Tyler and Nora but will he be able to convince her to put some modern moves into her routine to make it more appealing and just will Tyler last the distance or will he give up the dancing along with everything else in his life? How will Tyler’s friends react when they find him dancing ... ...I was not expecting too much from this film and I have to say that it was a good job as the story was very average and so too was the acting. I had easily worked out the ending of the film after watching the first half an hour and I can honestly say that this is just how the film ended. For me I was not too bothered as it meat that I did not have to concentrate much on what was going on. I have to say that Channing Tatum who took the role of Tyler ...
sewbizzie 28.10.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Step Up (DVD)
...80's Joint KELIS Step Up Jade, Samantha Say Goodbye Brown, Chris
Dear Life Hamilton, Anthony
For The Love Drew Sidora featuring Mario Ain't Cha Clipse featuring Re-Up Gang and Roscoe P. Goldchain I'mma Shine YoungBloodZ Feelin' Myself Dolla 'Til The Dawn Drew Sidora Lovely Deep Side U Must Be Rene, Gina Made Scott, Jamie ...
susrim 07.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Step Up (DVD)
Advantages: $12M budget already made $65M+ when cinemas stopped showing Disadvantages: All the money generated isn't exactly off the storyline alone
With the impending release of the sequel, I figured now was as good of time as any to sit down and watch the original before a visit to the cinema. 'Step Up' is a 2006 release starring Channing Tatum as Tyler Gage, a young male from the wrong side of the Baltimore neighbourhood who finds himself breaking into the Maryland School of Arts with the idea that vandalism makes entertainment. Along with his two Afro-American friends, Mac Carter (Damaine ... ...until their fun is inturrupted by security where Tyler gives himself up so that his friends can escape. Tyler is then sentenced to serve two-hundred hours of community service at the fancy arts school, where you can guess from the title of the movie that he will discover his love for dance, either that or be roped into dancing by the talented Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan). Many may remember a time when dance was one of the biggest pop culture subjects, ...
nathaninnit 16.03.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Step Up (DVD)
Advantages: Some good dancing scenes and Jenna Dewan plays a good part Disadvantages: Poor chemistry between leading two, Tatum not at his best.
Introduction-
Recently me and the Mrs went around to our friends house for the evening, after eating a delicious meal we settled down to watch a film. Strangely enough I liked the film 'Save the last dance' and 'Step Up' is allegedly of a similar storyline, so we decided to go with it. The film was released in 2006 and was directed by Anne Fletcher. The lead actor in the film is Channing Tatum, and the lead actress a relatively unknown lady named ... ...to the film and it delivered...to an extent.
Plot -
The story follows a young man named Tyler Gage (Tatum), he is what some people would call a bit of a troublemaker, him and his friends go around the neighbourhood stealing cars, breaking into places and generally causing havoc. Hi close friends are Mac Carter (Damaine Radcliff) and his younger brother Skinny Carter (De'Shawn Washington III). One evening they break into an arts school and begin ...
B_O_M_B_A 25.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Step Up (DVD)
Advantages: Terrific Dancing scenes and sound track Disadvantages: Poor script, poor acting and poor plot
Step Up was a christmas present that my much younger sister was given. I can't say I had high hopes as my 11 year old sister deemed it amazing. Anyway, Step Up is a music/dancing/romantic drama that was released in 2006. The story is about a guy called Tyler, a rebel and bona fide street dancer. He hangs around with two brothers Mac and Skinny and gets into trouble in the process. The three of them vandalise a local School of Arts but only Tyler ... ...the sub plot meaning that Step Up's strongest feature, the dancing, receives about 20 minutes of film time. In my opinon, the exuberant dancing saves this film. It gives it a new lease of life to what was a dull and bland film. The final dance routine is out of this world and had me up off my seat whilst the credits were rolling trying to perfect some of the moves I had just seen Tyler do, despite being 6 ft 2 and borderlining on clincally obese. ...
JakeLedge 29.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Step Up (DVD)
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Advantages: The best dance movie of all time. Disadvantages: It will not be as enjoyable for non dancers.
I recently bought the StepUp 2 DVD hoping to see a nice dance movie. I was not expecting much looking at the DVD cover, but as the saying goes do not judge a book by its cover I decided to buy it. I was not disappointed. This has to be the best dancing movie I have ever seen. The dancing skill shown by the actors is mind boggling. The story of the movie is also really nice and motivational. The movie length was perfect and I was captivated for the whole duration of the movie. The best scene in the movie has to be the final dance sequence. The last dance sequence has to be the best I've ever seen. It was perfectly coordinated and was a delight to watch. I liked the movie so much I have seen the movie five times already. I watch the last dance sequence every single day and I never cease to be amazed at the skill shown by the actors ...
Advantages: An excellent soundtrack. Disadvantages: In my opinion, there are no disadvantages
I have recently purchased this product a couple of months ago, and personally both DVD's are the best dance movies I have ever watched. I had only watched StepUp 2 at the cinema so was eager to by it because I enjoyed it so much, however as the box set was only a little more expensive than just buying the StepUp 2 DVD, I brought both DVD's in the box set. If you enjoy watching ballet and hiphop then this DVD is definatly worth purchasing. StepUp is based more upon ballet dancing collaborated with hiphop and StepUp 2 is a DVD based mostly upon hiphop dancing and similar styles of dance. Most of the songs in the soundtrack are produced by well known artists such as Timberland which, in my opinion, makes the DVD more enjoyable to watch. The characters are interesting to watch as they each have their own individual, well developed ...
Advantages: Some decent dancing. Disadvantages: Hackneyed writing, wooden performances and flaccid direction.
overshadowed by the hip-hop, rap and R 'n' B soundtrack choices that crowd the production. None of it is very innovative so it often feels like a compilation album for newcomers to the genres.
"StepUp 2 The Streets" is a by-the-numbers dance movie that is so bland it will fail to engage even the hardiest fans of the sub-genre. The direction is lacklustre and the writing pitiful. The cast is rammed with wooden performances and even the dance sequences fail as many times as they succeed. The target audience of young teens will no doubt lap up the routines and the hooker fashion favoured by the characters. But for anyone that values a story, there's nothing here other than a desire to rip out your own eyes to be saved the agony of the final rain-soaked kiss. ...
Contains mild violence, sex references and language
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Plot
A sullen young thug named Tyler winds up doing community service at the Baltimore High School for the Performing Arts. At first he's just smirking and mopping the floors, but then Nora, a talented dancer and choreographer, loses her partner to a fractured ankle mere weeks before the big showcase, and Tyler steps in as her partner. At first he doesn't take it too seriously but then again, he's never had a real chance in life. His best friend from the street gets jealous and forces Tyler to decide which side of the tracks he thinks he belongs on.
Fans of DIRTY DANCING and FAME will appreciate the moves in this tale of a sullen young thug named Tyler (Channing Tatum) who winds up doing community service at the Baltimore High School for the Performing Arts. At first he's just smirking and mopping the floors, but then Nora (Jenna Dewan), a talented dancer and choreographer, loses her partner to a fractured ankle mere weeks before the big showcase, and Tyler steps in as her partner. At first he doesn't take it too seriously but then again, he's never had a real chance in life. His best friend from the street (Damaine Radcliff) gets jealous and forces Tyler to decide which side of the tracks he thinks he belongs on. Meanwhile, romance heats up between Tyler and Nora, and there's some side business with the school's hip-hop composer (Mario) falling in love with Nora's hot friend Lucy (Drew Sidora), who is going out with an older man--a successful artist who cheats on her. As far as dramatic steps go, that's all fairly by the numbers, but the performances are strong. Tatum manages to be charismatic while playing his character like a real high school kid, that is to say, monosyllabically. The dialogue crackles and the editing is tight, while the big dance climax is, of course, a crowd-pleasing showstopper. Rachel Griffiths (SIX FEET UNDER) plays the school principal. Alyson Stoner connects with some warmth and spontaneity as Tatum's little sister, as does rapper Heavy D in a bit part as a local crime lord.
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