At times, Drumline is almost like the moments before an electrical storm - your hair stands on end; your heart beats faster because of the adrenaline rush; and your ears pop because of the pressure change in the air.
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
Its over-reliance on genre conventions, character types and formulaic conflict resolutions crushes all the goodwill it otherwise develops.
What the story lacks in surprise, it more than makes up for in flamboyance.
Perhaps it's cliche to call the film 'refreshing,' but it is. 'Drumline' shows a level of young, Black manhood that is funny, touching, smart and complicated.
Drumline sags a little toward the middle ... But the final showdown is a skills-'n'-style spectacular that feels like vibrant outtake from a highly choreographed civil war.
[Drumline] is entertaining for what it does, and admirable for what it doesn't do.
Drumline is a movie that treats its characters and audience with respect; it can't be accused of being a dumbed-down teen comedy.
Devon's story is affecting, but it is the action on the field that makes the movie something special.
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.
Drumline has plenty of opportunity to shift into sports-movie autopilot and resists it at every turn, valuing discovery over expectation.
Amazing! A college story that works even without vulgarity, sex scenes, and cussing!
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