Channing Tatum pulls out all of the stops playing the world's oldest living high school senior and dance prodigy in Step Up. Tyler (Tatum)is the pretty white boy living in a rough,black Baltimore neighborhood. When he's not car jacking with his home boys, he is busy popping moves and busting bad ass dance routines on the b ball court. Then one night, after having a gun pulled on him at a party, Tyler and crew break in to the oddly located Maryland Academy of the Arts. The boys proceed to crap all over the drama departments Caligula set when they get busted by a rent a cop.Tyler takes the fall, letting his buddies make a run for it, he ends up in court facing serious court ordered community service at, you guessed it, the Maryland Academy of the Arts.We also learn that our boy Tyler has a lengthy police record and is the world's oldest foster child. Anyway, back at the school, Tyler is amazed when he arrives and sees all of these other kids pursuing their dreams and actually being productive members of society.Given the job as mop boy, he mumbles his way through the first few days of his service when, you guessed it, he sees the school's top female dancer and its love at first site.It's at this point you can turn off the movie and imagine the remaining time in your head. Boy and girl end up dance partners, montage, montage, montage, no one understands, they don't communicate, he learns to control his dancing while she becomes more of a free spirit. Her mom thinks Tyler is white trash. His foster parents could give a crap. His friends freak when they find out he is at school dancing in tights instead of carjacking with them, oh the humanity!There is also this second tier romance between a DJ from the school and star dancer's best friend, but I digress. In the end Tyler and star dancer pop and lock their way to winning the schools big talent showcase, he of course gets accepted into the school and star dancer gets her bring break with a dance troupe! This movie rips off everything from every dance movie ever made before it. Throw in some embarrassing fashions, dialogue and dance numbers and you have Body Rock, Breakin and Flashdance all rolled into one phoned in production.

"I'm fighting, for something that's real for the first time in my life!"When Anne Fletcher made her directorial debut way back in 2006 no one imagined that this small budget film with a relatively unknown cast would end up grossing over 100 million in the US and inspiring a franchise that currently stands at five movies. It wasn't received warmly by the critics due to its cliché storyline and corny dialogues, but audiences dug it. I never was interested in the franchise and this was my first time actually sitting down and watching one. The main reason was because I knew this was Channing Tatum's break out role. He had done a couple of movies before with smaller roles, but this was the first time he was given a lead role. Tatum has delivered some strong roles recently (Foxcatcher being his most impressive) so I wanted to go back and revisit some of his earlier work. I was surprised I actually ended up enjoying this film as much as I did and I think it is largely due to Tatum's charisma. He didn't deliver a great performance, but he definitely carried the film with his charm making it enjoyable. The dancing was also pretty solid although I am not much of an expert in that area. The main problems with Step Up revolve around the clichéd screenplay and dull subplots that almost derailed the film completely, but the charisma from Tatum and his excellent chemistry with Jenna Dewan make this an entertaining viewing experience. It's been 9 years since Tatum and Dewan met on set for this movie and they are still together in real life. The chemistry was really there. Step Up is one of those films that you know is formulaic, unoriginal, and without any great technical achievements, but you still find it enjoyable due to the charismatic lead performances. You could file Step Up under the romance/dance genre along with other films as Bring it On, Save the Last Dance, and Honey. The screenplays are perhaps the weakest thing about these films, but you still can find them enjoyable when the lead characters deliver charismatic performances and know how to dance. That is the case with Channing Tatum who plays a troubled young teen who lives with his foster parents and spends a lot of time in the streets. One night out with his friends he ends up vandalizing an arts school and gets caught. He is ordered to do 200 hours of community service as payment for the damages he caused. At the school he meets a young student from a wealthy family played by Jenna Dewan who dreams of becoming a dancer. When her dancing partner gets injured, he offers to help, and the plot evolves from there.The story works best when it focuses on the two lead characters rehearsing and dancing together, but when the film shifts its focus on other subplots revolving around their friends the story losses some of its appeal. There is unnecessary conflict introduced in the film that is resolved rather easily and in a predictable way. There is also a tragic scene that takes place near the end of the film that felt out of place (the melodrama is poorly handled by the screenwriters). However, the final dance scene is one of the best in the movie so it does end in a positive note. Despite its predictable storyline and formulaic premise, Step Up is still an enjoyable film. Not good enough however to get me interested in the sequels.

This movie is lovable in every way. It has a combination of romance, comedy, and even tragedy. The movie has many talented dancers with a number of cool-looking dances of every style. These dances include hip hop, ballet, and a combination of both. The way the dances are filmed is intriguing because they make sure to capture each important move and make it extremely enjoyable to watch. Each dance scene is just as amazing as the last and it makes you want to get up and move along with it. Not to mention, Channing Tatum is the overly attractive male lead and is a wonderful dancer and actor. You'l feel a whole range of emotions throughout this movie and will be satisfied at the end.

This is one of the first dancing movies I have seen. And even after watching Step Up 2, 3, Stomp the Yard 1, 2, Street Dance and B-Girl, this title still seems to me like the best. People looking to watch a drama-dancing movie will just love this title. I don't think somebody will find this review useful, as this title is already famous enough for everybody to know it. It has such a good mixture of drama and dancing and the plot is fine and careful. It really express real feelings and the dancing is just excellent. The cast is really good and the main characters are just perfect for the movie. Can't find many words to describe it, just awesome =)