Step Up

There is a rumor spreading throughout the IMDB community that lead male Channing Tatum is gay. This rumor has teenage girls everywhere crying and praying to their god that it isn’t true. That same demographic was also the target audience for this overly cheesy “follow your dreams” story. Channing plays Tyler Gage (porn name, much?) a juvenile delinquent, which a love for stealing cars, destroying property and dancing like his life depended on it. He is caught causing serious damage to a private arts school’s theater (which broke my heart) and his punishment was 200 community service hours in the spot he wrecked. We see him cleaning bathrooms, sweeping and mopping floors and replacing lights. Also, he is looking longingly at Nora Clark, played by Jenna Dewan. Now, I cannot fault our possibly gay leading male for his staring because this girl is a knockout AND a dancer. Yes, a real dancer, with the body and everything. Nora is a senior trying to choreograph a senior project in hopes of catching the eye of a few dance companies. See, she made a deal with her strict obnoxious mom that if she didn’t get a contract with a dance company she would take her gorgeous and rich ass to a rich girl college. I know, poor poor Nora. No lies, it is hard to find sympathy for someone whose options include Cornell and NYU. Her dance partner wrecks his ankle in some freak off screen accident. I like to pretend he did it while trying to juggle on a unicycle, but that’s just me. Mr. Gage offers to step in, or step up (get it?!?!?!) and this ignites flames between the two.


R&B singer Mario also stops in as an aspiring hip-hop producer with sick, violin heavy beats and the flyest hats I have ever seen. He is in love with a piece of milky chocolate who happens to be Nora’s best friend and since Tyler is from the ghetto he and Mario become instant hood boys. I would be lying if I said the dancing was boring because there were a few moments where I got very caught up in the moves and the rhythms of the music and dance, but it was when they tried telling a story with words instead of music that this movie falls apart. Yes, I know I am not the desired audience so it doesn’t really matter what I think. The music is banging, the dancing is incredible and the people are all hot. There is some sick basketball and a well intentioned moral in the end so who am I to totally knock the movie.


I am all for movies inspiring a sense of “follow your dreams” and I am all for movies that can bring together races and genders in the art of dance, especially when it is a combination of hip-hop and ballet. It is always nice to see things that don’t seem like they go together, fit well and the final dance sequence is pretty awesome. There is a street element to the movie that is not surprising, but no one will care if they are shocked or not. There are morals like- keeping your word, working hard, reaching for more and the all important look within yourself to find what you are made of, so in that aspect I am glad people saw this movie. I do hope for the sake of all of us though that Channing Tatum is not gay, because if he is the entire teenage girl population may band together and destroy the planet!!