Tyler (Tatum) is a troubled teen who's assigned community service at the local arts school. His muscly build, supermodel good looks and gifted hip-hop moves are quickly noticed by rich-kid dance student Nora (Dewan), who's preparing for her senior showcase. But with her partner injured, golly gee, where can she find a replacement on such short notice? The tough-but-kind principal (Griffiths) allows Tyler to work with Nora. Soon he's making friends and breathing new life in to the school. But now his homies (Radcliff and Washington) feel left behind.

The main problem here is that all of the plot points are simplistic and unrealistic. These aren't actual innercity kids--they never swear, have no interest in sex and are brimming with energy, good-looks and talent that come effortlessly, with the minimal amount of discipline or practice. Even the rehearsal montages dwell heavily on gimmicky ballet-meets-rap choreography, the corny rooftop practice space, and of course lots of lingering eye contact. But there's no real chemistry.

Fortunately, Tatum is a magnetic screen presence who holds our interest through sheer charisma. But it's hard to feel sympathy for his character when he's clearly the best dancer on the eastern seaboard, and could get any modelling job he wanted. The cast around him do what they can to inject their characters with energy and emotion, even though there's not a split second of the entire film that isn't predictable. Mario is especially engaging as a talented young musician.

Fletcher, who choreographed Halle Berry's movements in Catwoman, directs the drama blandly, riffing frequently from both Flashdance and Fame. But she injects plenty of emotional resonance into the dance sequences, which are powerfully physical. The final performance piece is simply gorgeous, no matter how improbable it is in the plot. Which is the problem: we wish we could forget the moralistic, formulaic story and just watch these kids dance.

themes, violence

11.Sep.06