Painful

Rating: 4/10 (18 February 2008)

Okay, I really wanted to like this movie. I loved Step Up, and I was hoping that this movie would at least come close to the same level. But...it really didn't. Chemistry between the leads was missing...in fact, chemistry between any of the characters was lacking. I am still not sure why they cared about each other at all. Also, I felt like there was no point to the movie except to string a bunch of dance scenes together. There was no real growth on the part of Andi, or the other characters. Maybe originally this movie was intended to show how someone from the streets could fit in...but I never saw Andi struggle. The dialogue was cliché and boring, and the minor characters, while perhaps intended to add humor and depth, did nothing for me.
And then...the dancing.
A lot of people have been raving about the dancing in this movie, and saying that it is the only good thing about it. However...it was ALL THE SAME. There was hardly any variation when it came to style, except for maybe five seconds of a mediocre ballet student. I felt like I was looking at the same dance over and over and over again, with the moves slightly reshuffled. The one exception was the final dance, which I did enjoy watching. At least the original Step Up combined different types of dancing to some extent; that was completely lacking here.
In short...stay at home and save your 12 bucks, and if you're looking for a dance movie, go back and watch the original movie again. This isn't worth it.