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Movies / On DVD / Drumline
Drumline

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Drumline (2002)

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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Drumline

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A superlative B movie -- funny, sexy, and rousing.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
12/23/02
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly

Amazing! A college story that works even without vulgarity, sex scenes, and cussing!

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
12/20/02
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Drumline has plenty of opportunity to shift into sports-movie autopilot and resists it at every turn, valuing discovery over expectation.

Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
12/17/02
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

There's something about a marching band that gets me where I live.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
12/17/02
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

Its over-reliance on genre conventions, character types and formulaic conflict resolutions crushes all the goodwill it otherwise develops.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
12/17/02
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide

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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
12/17/02
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

In place of Bring It On's humor, Drumline lays it on thick with a message a minute, all clichéd.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
12/16/02
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
12/16/02
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
12/16/02
Boston Phoenix
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
12/16/02
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

More than compensating for the formula script are Drumline's tuneful glory and driving rhythms, along with a pulsating vitality that never flags.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
12/16/02
Bruce Feld
Bruce Feld
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
12/16/02
Houston Chronicle

See this film to remind yourself what the great marching bands look and sound like.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
12/16/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Any movie that makes hard work seem heroic deserves a look.

Full Review Source: Journal News (Westchester, NY) | comment Comment
12/16/02
Marshall Fine
Marshall Fine
Journal News (Westchester, NY)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: CNN.com | comment Comment
12/16/02
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
Paul Clinton (CNN.com)
CNN.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I love that we get into this world of marching bands. We barely see any football players -- we see the top of their helmets as they're getting out of the way.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
12/16/02
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper

Better than it has any right to be, yet remains an uneven affair not good enough to be worth running out and seeing.

Full Review Source: DustinPutman.com | comment Comment
12/15/02
Dustin Putman
Dustin Putman
DustinPutman.com

The band scenes are downright gladiatorial in their visceral impact and energy...edited with the tightness of a snare drum and photographed with the geometrical majesty of a Busby Berkeley musical.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
12/14/02
Joe McGovern
Joe McGovern
Premiere Magazine

There is nothing inspirational about Drumline and the only interesting parts occur in the film's final stanza.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/13/02
David Levine
David Levine
Filmcritic.com

[Has] an abundance of heart and humor.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/13/02
Joe Leydon
Joe Leydon
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
all

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