I can stand to watch most of this movie when I feel like it but there are some things that could have been and should have been left out. I too found it rather silly that this kid got a full scholarship even though he couldn't read music. Wouldn't that have been something Dr. Lee would have asked when he recruited Devon? Afterall, it was part of the official rules to be in the band. The way Devon ignored rules, his attitude toward Lee and his drumline leader, and the fact that he caused a fight with a rival school, any other person would have been kicked off the band without given a second thought. Also, the P.A. announcer at the stadium was very annoying. Could have done without those pointless arrogant lines. Lastly, the movie ended badly. Sure, Atlanta A&T won the Classic but it ended during the celebration. They needed a better moment to end it on. Like maybe show Devon a year or 2 later leading a group of drumline hopefuls.

First of all, Morris Brown should have won the final showdown.I say this after many years of playing in drumlines, high school, college, and eventually a shot at the Blue Knights, which I missed. It's been years since this came out, but I would still love to see a well- done sequel that pitted a drumline coached by Devon against a DCI-style line that actually had some serious precision, discipline, and power. Throwing the two styles against each other would definitely liven things up a bit, and we'd get some sweet, heart-melting DCI brass power chords to go along with it.Otherwise, the movie is formulaic but with its heart in the right place. I was happy to miss the usual black clichés in this film, in favor of seeing decent kids with sense, for once. I'm happy to see that Zoe Saldana has gone on to bigger and better things, since she was the stunningly beautiful standout of the film. Orlando Jones was also excellent... what happened to that guy? Anyway, decent film for what it was, and why it remains to be sequeled in this sequel-happy universe is beyond me. Someday, maybe...

The "talented young smart-ass goes to college and learns there's more to life than being skillful or clever" theme is an old one and it's been done better many times in the past. Robert Young learned about teamwork in "Navy Blue and Gold." More recently Rob Lowe learned the lesson in "Oxford Blues." The difference between Drumline and these and other older films on the same theme is that the lead characters evoked more sympathy. Nick Cannon's Devon Miles character is a self-centered, posturing, swaggering jackass who evokes immediate dislike and though you see him grow up a little in the course of the film, you never really learn to like or respect him.Drumline also suffers from an identity crisis of its own. You're never really sure what sort of story it wants to tell. Is is a "coming of age" story, a drama, a comedy, a romance? It tries to be all of these at once and never seals the deal on any of them.Drumline could have told a good story about a New York kid learning that there's more than one way to be black in this world. There are a couple of hints of that in Devon's relationship with Laila. Her comment to Devon: "Southern sisters don't date...we have boyfriends," could have been an opening to a good subplot about differences in black culture between different parts of the US, but, as with so many other possible plots, the story touches it lightly, and then flits off to something else. An arrogant young freshman such as Devon would have had many lessons to learn while finding his way in this environment, but the film misses nearly every opportunity to show us the relationships between the characters in any depth, so the performances come off as predictable and mechanical.All the same, I've seen Drumline several times and enjoyed it for what it does very well. The presentation of the music and and the work that goes into running a big university marching band are very good. I could have done with more of both. The all-too-brief glimpses of life at a black southern university are well done. Again, I could have done with more of that as well. Drumline also had moments of humor, and some visually engaging camera work, especially in the music scenes.I like this movie. I just wish it had been better done.

Pure, fun entertainment. A lot of the comments I've read here make fun of the fact that the plot is obvious and the movie isn't deep enough for them. But, if you simply want to be entertained and drum the heck out of anything you can reach when the drumlines compete, and if you like to see good looking college kids, beautiful girls' bodies, and see the good guys win then this movie will delight you as much as it delights me. Most of the actors are black and college age and I'm white and in my 70's, but there's a life to this movie that lifts me up every time I play it. Get in the mood for fun and slip this DVD into your player. You'll have a couple hours of pure fun.