Don't Believe the Hype

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

African American males often use Music as part of a wonderful learning style and this film is a hilarious and inspiring exposition of this fact. Nick Cannon is on the beat as Devon Miles, a musical prodigy with a gift for rhythm and percussion. Orlando Jones is a revelation as Dr. Lee, a different kind of black hero who uses his mind and his teaching skill to win adventures in learning rather than relying on guns and fists. He easily and naturally reflects the kind of personality that populates many urban environments working tirelessly to raise the tone of the entire community.I also enjoyed the conflict and tension between Cannon's Devon Miles and Leonard Roberts' (of 'Heroes' fame) Sean Taylor, head of the Drum Section at the Southern University Miles has won a scholarship to attend. Once again, as in the movie 'Accepted' the creative nonconformist butts heads with the system and its representatives and learns the value of humility in cultivating natural talent. Something like 'The Natural' with drums, but minus the lightning and the thunder if you discount the emotional fireworks between the lead characters themselves.That's it in a nutshell. The final 'Drum Off' between the two competing Universities at the end of the film captured more about the Black Aesthetic than anything I have seen in a long time. I thought it was a beautiful set piece and kudos to Director Charles Stone III and his Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut. The beautiful thing about this scene was that despite it sensationalistic aspects nobody was maimed or killed to accomplish the ultimate dramatic effect. You can feel the intense passion of the African American to rise above that factor of their legacy that involves oppression and exploitation, but here that angst is discharged creatively rather than destructively.Zoe Saldana (of 'Star Trek' fame) as Laila, the romantic interest of Devon, demonstrates through their relationship the steps our main character must take to socialize his tremendous talent for the greatest benefit to all. J. Anthony Brown makes a worthy adversary as Mr. Wade to Band Leader Dr. Lee before and during the BET Competitions for best University Band in America. But what I really liked was how the story revealed the African American Community seizing Learning and Music as an appropriate choice of weapons for attaining greater freedom with an in-your-face style and panache.

Having read johnharrison-1 review, I have to agree completely. However, I have had some musical training, and have tried drums. Give me a Trombone any day:)I didn't get into this movie for about five or ten minutes, but once in, you could not get me away from it. I truly enjoy drums, from bongos to kettle, I like them all. The snair drum when played by someone who knows what they are doing, is really something to listen to, so, I guess you would say I enjoyed this movie. YES! Just wish I had recorded it, next time it comes around, I am going to get the soundtrack if not the whole thing. The finish of the competition is perfect. Buy or rent, you should enjoy this one. Loved the part where the Instructor learned a lesson.

First of all, Morris Brown should have won the final showdown.I say this after many years of playing in drumlines, high school, college, and eventually a shot at the Blue Knights, which I missed. It's been years since this came out, but I would still love to see a well- done sequel that pitted a drumline coached by Devon against a DCI-style line that actually had some serious precision, discipline, and power. Throwing the two styles against each other would definitely liven things up a bit, and we'd get some sweet, heart-melting DCI brass power chords to go along with it.Otherwise, the movie is formulaic but with its heart in the right place. I was happy to miss the usual black clichés in this film, in favor of seeing decent kids with sense, for once. I'm happy to see that Zoe Saldana has gone on to bigger and better things, since she was the stunningly beautiful standout of the film. Orlando Jones was also excellent... what happened to that guy? Anyway, decent film for what it was, and why it remains to be sequeled in this sequel-happy universe is beyond me. Someday, maybe...

Just to give you some perspective, I was in a college marching band myself. It was in the Midwest though, so we were more "traditional" than what these guys pull off in "Drumline." As it is, my only experience watching a band like this came last year when I saw the Delaware State Marching Band perform.Anyway, onto the movie, which I mostly liked. As many reviewers have pointed out, it features an old fashioned story. Basically, you have a high school hotshot (Nick Cannon) who, while a talented drummer, is a poor team player. When he's recruited to the prestigious Atlanta A & T Band, he believes it's his chance to show his stuff with a superior school. But his cocky nature conflicts with both the values of his section leader and his band teacher, and he will have to learn that it takes more than just talent to be a part of his school's drumline.It's an old-hat Hollywood story, but I will give it credit for getting one thing right about being in a college marching band. You HAVE to be a team player. You need to follow instructions and play your correct part. So I will give the movie credit for showing that.Another thing the movie doesn't skimp on is that college marching band is very tough. While our band did not have to run up and down stairs with our instruments held high or do tons of push-ups, we did have to practice for almost 12 hours a day every day in the August heat, and then practice every day for at least 90 minutes from the September heat to the November snows. You have to treat marching band like it's a living, and this film does a good job showing that too.The acting is fine on almost all counts. I especially enjoyed Orlando Jones as the band teacher; he reminded me of a couple of band teachers I've had in the past. And the marching band performances are zippy, filled with energy, and fun to watch. I guess my only reservation is that I can't think of many people I knew in marching band who had experiences that mirrored Nick's story, so it was hard for me to completely relate to this movie. Then again, marching band is something I take very personally, so it would have been hard for a marching band story to satisfy me anyway.Basically, this is good entertainment, with a couple of good examples of what it's like to be in a college marching band thrown in. Don't be fooled by the 5.2 rating; I have no idea why the rating is so low for this movie. It should be a 6-6.5 at minimum. Considering how few movies there are that even reference marching bands, it's a good thing this movie can at least do some justice for them.