The symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees. I wanted more.
Drumline (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:81
Fresh:65
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: Essentially a sports movie with drums, the energetic Drumline somehow manages to make the familiar seem fresh.
Runtime: 2 hrs 7 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Charles Stone III's crowd-pleasing drama spotlights the previously unheralded world of university marching bands--more specifically, the cutthroat world that energizes Southern black campuses.... Charles Stone III's crowd-pleasing drama spotlights the previously unheralded world of university marching bands--more specifically, the cutthroat world that energizes Southern black campuses. Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) is a Harlem teenager who receives a full scholarship to attend Atlanta A&T University based on his excellent percussion talents. However, making the transition from hip-hop street drumming to the drumline of the school's legendary marching band is more challenging than Miles expected. For one, the band director, Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), is determined to reclaim the national championship using old-school tactics, even though his traditional beliefs appear to be leaving A&T in the dust. And then there is Sean (Leonard Roberts), the current drum leader, who is threatened by Devon's skills and frustrated by his fierce individuality. These antagonistic forces, as well as the addition of a cheerleading love interest (Zoe Saldana), combine to test Devon's previously unshakeable confidence. As the season builds toward the BET Big Southern Classic and a showdown with rival Morris Brown University, Devon must swallow his pride and learn to be a team player if he wants his band to win the championship. DRUMLINE proves that any subject can make for an invigorating work of entertainment, if handled properly. [More]
Starring: Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts
Starring: Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts, GQ, Jason Weaver, Earl C. Poitier, J. Anthony Brown
Director: Charles Stone
Director: Charles Stone
Screenwriter: Tina Gordon Chism, Shawn Schepps
Producer: Wendy Finerman, Tim Bourne, Jody Gerson
Composer: John Powell
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Reviews for Drumline
Offers little that's surprising or groundbreaking, but, because the script is smart enough not to insult us and to develop a group of interesting characters, the act of watching the film is an entertaining experience rather than a tedious exercise.
...enthusiastically invokes the percussion rhythm, the brass soul and the sense of fierce competition that helps make great marching bands half the fun of college football games.
Cannon's confidence and laid-back good spirits are, with the drumming routines, among the film's saving graces.
A most unusual musical...Learning something from his subject, Stone gives the picture a snappy rhythm. [Blu-ray]
Drumline is a movie that treats its characters and audience with respect; it can't be accused of being a dumbed-down teen comedy.
Director Charles Stone III applies more detail to the film's music than to the story line; what's best about Drumline is its energy.
The film's saving grace is the brilliant execution of its march numbers.
Not exactly worth a drum roll but a movie with enough collegiate ka-boom to earn its title, Drumline is a percussion-driven musical variation on every sports pic you've seen about the talented hot dog who eventually learns to become a team player.
This is such a high-energy movie where the drumming and the marching are so excellent, who cares if the story's a little weak.
Drumline has a lower profile than almost any other holiday movie, yet it boasts a higher fun quotient than many of its more touted competitors.
Director Charles Stone III, once again takes on overly familiar material and gives it an enthusiastic spin.
[Drumline] is entertaining for what it does, and admirable for what it doesn't do.
By the time its otherwise paint-by-numbers story reaches a finale, Drumline has made band seem cool -- no small feat in the wake of American Pie 2.
More than compensating for the formula script are Drumline's tuneful glory and driving rhythms, along with a pulsating vitality that never flags.
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