“Step Up” (Touchstone Pictures)
A Little Dancing and A Little Romancing
“Step Up” is a modern day version of “Dirty Dancing” with Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan stepping into the roles of troublemaker and society princess. The basic plot is there but the setting has changed. Instead of the Catskills this story takes place in Maryland at the School of the Arts, and instead of dirty dancing these kids combine some hip hop moves with classical ballet. Whichever way you slice it this is a movie about dancing and romancing.
Hunky Channing Tatum plays Tyler Gage, an orphan living in a foster home. He is into stealing cars and vandalizing property. The latter gets him into trouble with the law and sentenced to two hundred hours of community service. The time is to be served by working as a janitor at the Maryland School of the Arts in Baltimore.
While working Tyler spots Nora (Dewan) dancing. She is in rehearsals for the fall review in which she hopes to gain the attention of a dance company. But things take a bad turn when her partner in the show is injured. Tyler volunteers to take his place in rehearsals, mainly just to be close to Nora. He shows some natural talent and soon he is the ideal partner for Nora.
All of this plays out like some summer stock sitcom with the cast deciding to put on a show. Logic has no place in this movie and neither does deep explorations into the characters or basic motivations as to why they act as they do. You just have to take it all at face value and accept that everything leads to another dance number.
Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”) is the only recognizable member of the cast and she seems to be in a different movie that the kids. Maybe that’s because she never gets to dance. Mario and Drew Sidora have the roles of Miles and Lucy and they are involved in a secondary romance. They may not be able to dance like Tatum and Dewan but they do show more charisma on screen.
Tatum is an athletically gifted dancer but his acting abilities make Tyler come across as a deadhead. Giving him a spark of life off the dance floor would have been welcomed. Dewan is also good in the dancing requirements but doesn’t show anything extra as an actress. It is in the dance numbers that she and Tatum both come alive.
The film is rated PG-13 for mild profanity and violence.
“Step Up” is a movie that is at its best when the kids are dancing. Still it does have a message of sorts about trying to make something of yourself. For these reasons it is fun and entertaining to watch. Just don’t expect it to be too impressive – it isn’t.
I scored “Step Up” a get down 5 out of 10.
