Surprisingly Watchable

Rating: 7/10 (9 June 2005)

Honey was a film I hadn't heard much about. A few people had mentioned it if only as a passing Jessica Alba conversation. It took me some time to actually sit down and watch it but I was pleasantly surprised. I admit I am not a fan of hip hop music which was a big reason I hadn't bothered to see it.
Honey is the story of dancer and nighttime bartender Honey Daniels. She dreams of making it big in the world of dancing and she has the moves but hasn't been discovered yet. By chance she is noticed by big time music video director Michael Ellis who launches her career by putting her front and center in some of the biggest music videos in the industry. As her fame grows she loses touch with some of the things most important to her, her neighborhood, her best friend, the kids she used to teach dance too. She tries to juggle both but it becomes a challenge. Ellis introduces her into choreography and she begins to write the dance moves and further her fame. Finally she finds a balance when she realizes she might be able to help get some of her neighborhood kids off the street by putting them in music videos. Unfortunately she quickly discovers Michael Ellis never wanted her for anything more than sex and he fires her when she doesn't give it up and on top of that blacklists her in the industry so no one will work with her. She returns to her neighborhood where she discovers the drop in center where she taught dance has closed and now she desperately wants to open up a dance studio where the kids can dance and have fun safely off the streets. In order to raise the money to buy the space for the dancer center Honey organizes a huge dance show with the kids performing. With the help from her neighborhood and the kids she will succeed in all her dreams.
Any hip hop fan will appreciate this film from cameos alone. The film is chock full of musical cameos from Missy Elliot to Jadakiss. It's true that plot is a little thin in the film but quite frankly it was much more of a plot than I thought it would be. I had the film pegged as a Flashdance, Save The Last Dance type but it was less about the dancer and more about her love for the kids. It was actually rather uplifting and their final song of the film was very cool and made me smile. I've read some less than favorable reviews on this movie but for me it came as a surprise that it wasn't horrible. The cast is alright but they don't really hold up the movie as much as the story does. Jessica Alba is decent in the lead role, and Lil' Romeo does a great job in his role as Benny, the troubled kid from the streets. It doesn't have a lot of depth but if you enjoy hip hop and want something uplifting, it's worth seeing. 7/10