the audience applauded

That was an excellent one.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I was very disappointed by the lack of attention actually given to Step. Yes, I enjoyed being brought into the lives of these girls and was very moved by the efforts being made by their school and families to get them into college and on to better lives. Honestly though, this documentary missed it by not showing me more about their classes and certainly I would have liked seeing more performances. That's the main reason I rented this movie. The preview probably showed more step than the movie did. Too bad.

Step can be best described as a roller-coaster. This is a film about life, dreams and passion. You go on a journey with three amazing young woman who have used Step to shape themselves into empowering role models. This movie is basically Dance Moms but with a heart, a soul and overall positivity.This documentary follows three strong, intelligent, beautiful African American high school seniors. It shows these girls in their home life and in their school life. It also shows what it was like for these girls living in Baltimore, a year after the Freddie Gray Protests in 2015. Many scenes in the film portray the "Black Lives Matter" movement and the importance of it. Blessin, our first protagonist and main focus of STEP is very likable and relatable. The audience can understand her struggles and her angry outbursts. Blessin struggles more than the others with her grades, but she is the powerhouse and founder of the Step team. She shows her tender side when she cares for her nephew. The other girls, Cori and Tayla take school more seriously and have strong parental figures that help them through the tough times. Even though Tayla's mom can be a bit overbearing, she has her daughter's back, and in the end, that's what's important. Cori lives with six siblings, her stepfather and a mom who, in Cori's own words, "is like a magic wand." Cori's mom was a teenager when she was pregnant with Cori but her faith helped her get through the rough times.A big focus of this documentary is feminism and racial equality. The girls discuss this at the memorial for Freddie Gray. Their coach "Coach G" tells them that they are not only black but they are women. So they have to fight harder than others and how it should not be this way. Not only that, but the two dance numbers shown in the film deal with these issues. The First Routine is about Black Lives Matter, and the other one is about Sisterhood. I was really impressed and found myself cheering these girls on through their journey and desperately hoping for them to succeed. Even though I am not a big fan of dancing, I have to admit these girls were really talented.I would definitely give this documentary 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this film for 10 to 18 year olds. Anybody who wants a positive and motivational movie should watch this film.Reviewed by Calista B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, visit kidsfirst dot org.

I just didn't get drawn into the plot of this film. They characters were uninteresting, and although the plot was uplifting, it didn't feel very engaging at all. The sound track however was very good, which is why I gave it a 2/10 instead of 1. Overall, I feel like it was just like any movie with only child actors - the acting and story wasn't enough to get me to the edge of my seat.

STEP exceeded my expectations! Variety has called it ""Hoop Dreams" for the social media generation". I was skeptical - another doc on the marginalize. But this is different thanks to the filmmaker – who entertained while documenting a slice of life for this group of students, parents and their teachers. See it!