How She Move (2008)

Formulaic but still entertaining. . . .

Like "Flashdance," "Footloose," "Billy Elliot" and any number of dance movies, "How She Move" is the story of a big dreamer who finds release in dance. Unknown Rutina Wesley stars as Raya, a second-generation Jamaican from a borderline-ghetto in Toronto, Canada, who wants to become a doctor. After drug-addiction claims her sister, Pam, and Raya's parents can no longer afford her private school tuition, Raya returns to the `hood, scraping and scheming to find her way back out, all the while resented by the locals for her ambition. She happens upon a group of guys who practice and compete in Step-dance competitions for cash. Step--a heady mix of rhythm-precise hip-hop, break-dancing and locking moves--is highly segregated by sex and "How She Move" revolves around Raya's quest to infiltrate an all-boys club and help the guys win a local competition (and, for her, much-needed money for college). If you think you've heard of or seen a variation of this story before, then you probably have. Still, as depicted by director Ian Rashad, Raya's neighborhood and environs are a gritty and true-to-life portrayal. While the movie strongly evokes the dead-end that awaits many poor and working-class youth with substandard education, it also telescopes the resentments engendered by those who aspire to more in life. In the film's telling, Step represents a momentary way out of bleak surroundings and Wesley, with her intense square jaw and brooding eyes, makes a convincing heroine who's out to prove herself and do something with her life. Melanie Nicholls-King also gives a credible performance as Raya's mother--a careworn first-generation Jamaican immigrant who works tirelessly to see that the ruthless streets do not claim her only remaining child. In the end, "How She Move" may be a formulaic story that's all-too-familiar, but it is still mildly entertaining. The pulsating soundtrack features songs by Missy Elliot and Busta Rhymes, among many others. June 29, 2008

She Move Good, She Act Bad

When the plot for a movie is basically created by combining Breakin 2 and Honey, there is a near guarantee that it's going to open up a cinema black hole. If not for the superb dancing in this movie, the entire project would be nearly without anything substantial or worthwhile.

Rayanna Green (Rutina Wesley) is not only a good student, but she's also a great dancer who has to earn the respect of the boys in the dance crew. Somehow this group manages to get tons of school time, and the auto-shop facilities to practice their moves, while fulfilling and/or overcoming every cliché in cinema history. Among those clichés is obviously the big dance-off ending with corny DJs, and I can guarantee you can guess the winner. This movie is so unoriginal, I think the makers of Stomp the Yard, Step Up, and Save the Last Dance should look into legal proceedings.

I remember seeing the preview of this movie, thinking it was a bland remake, and writing it off. But when it ended and I saw that the title was "How She Move", I immediately became irritated with the insidious way in which ebonics have crept into acceptability. If anything, the movie should have been titled "Oh No She Di'int" because of the audacity needed to title a movie with such egregious grammar. The dancers and choreography may be nimble, but the acting and plot serve as the two left feet of the drunk uncle who shows up at every family wedding, and ruins whatever positive vibe there may have been amongst those who are having fun and dancing. June 22, 2008

Not as Hype as I thought

The movie was good overall but the story line was a little whack. It kind of kept going back and forth with her betraying this person then helping that person yadyadyada. Still it had some decent dance moves and decent music and was not a bad movie to watch on a Friday night with my girl June 2, 2008

Bland beyond belief

The urban-dance drama, "How She Moves," springs to life only when its high-energy, talented cast members are kicking up their heels and strutting their stuff for the camera. Otherwise, this stale strive-suffer-and-succeed story is low on energy, low on originality, and low on anything that might make the movie stand out from the dozens of other likeminded films that have come before it.

Rutina Wesley has modest appeal as the academically gifted inner-city youngster who finds that the best way for her to raise her private school tuition money is by entering step-dance competitions, but both she and her fellow actors are poorly served by uninspired screenwriting and undistinguished direction. As noted earlier, the movie achieves some spark when the performers are up on stage dancing, but such moments are far too few and sadly fleeting. May 15, 2008

'How She Move' Starring 'Monster Stomp'

`How She Move' takes many plot steps we've seen before. Reminiscent of some of the dramatic moves taken in films like `Take the Lead,' and `Akeelah and the Bee,' the movie makes quite an impression when the characters are on stage ready to dance.

A second generation Jamaican, Rayanne (Raya) Green (Rutina Wesley) is a child prodigy, ready to go to prestigious colleges after an education at a private high school. The only thing keeping her from the best prospects are her family's finances. She has to drop out and enroll at a public school, where she is now an outsider to her former friend, Michelle (Tre' Armstrong), and her peer group. All the while she and her family are grieving over the loss of her elder sister, Pam, and all the fallout of her deadly drug use.

Trying to keep her head up, Raya is well-rounded. While she is an ace at academics, she is also sharp on the auto shop floor where all her friends gather to stomp out the latest moves. More interested in her romantically, Bishop (Dwain Murphy), who has known her since fifth grade, makes advances, but shuns the prospect of having her in his stomp "crew". Potentially, she must do the balancing act of many talented teenagers: She has to study for her exams, practice her dance moves with the boys, and come up with a way to pay for her tuition. Added to that is the reluctant misery she faces by becoming Michelle's tutor to avoid suspension after a physical fight.

`How She Move' is an enjoyable film experience. While the acting is second rate compared to what we`ve seen in `American Gangster (2-Disc Unrated Extended Edition)' and `The Great Debaters,' the characters are thoroughly lovable. Some suspension of disbelief is also necessary. (Are they all really allowed all this class time to practice their dance steps in the auto shop? Sometimes we actually see them working on their cars, and then we only see the adults when a fight breaks out in the shop.) Often times we get so dazzled, we don't even care.

The real answer lies with the entertainment. Some of the situations and tension we've experienced in similar films with praiseworthy themes, but the real star of the movie is the dancing. When that comes front and center, we get a real extravaganza. Sort of the 'American Idol - The Best of Seasons 1 - 4' of the stomp experience, the contest, `Step Monster' is a real spectrum of choreography and flair. And it is in this way that 'How She Move' is most effective: When it lets the dancing do the talking.

(***=Good movie) May 6, 2008

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