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Propaniac
Nov 28, 2000

SUSHI ROULETTO!
College Slice
Directed by: Anne Fletcher
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Rachel Griffiths, Damaine Radcliff

I went into this movie knowing almost nothing about it, because I hadn't expected to see it. I just knew it was about some guy who becomes a dancer. But I enjoyed it more than I expected; it's predictable as heck, but the dancing's fun and the characters are pleasant. The conflict, for the most part, doesn't come from one or two of the characters being total assholes for no reason, so that's a plus.

The "guy," in this case, is Tyler Gage, played by Channing Tatum. As the movie starts, we meet Tyler, his best friend Mac, and Mac's little brother, and I wasn't sure whether it was Tyler or Mac who was going to become the hero; even though we see Tyler dancing first, he comes across as such a big dumb jerk that I thought the smart, protective Mac was going to be the one who gets to realize his big dreams of success.

But it turns out that, although Tyler never stops looking like a big dumb jerk, he's not really so dumb or such a jerk, and one of the things I liked the most about "Step Up" was seeing this guy turn out to be a pretty good person and a good dancer. Tyler comes off more interesting on the screen than he would on the page because of his asynchronous appearance. Similarly, although Jenna Dewan is a very pretty actress, she's not the tiny blonde waif that could have been cast in her part as the talented and devoted dance student who helps Tyler realize his full potential, and that does make her more likable. (The "two steps back," in this case, is the ongoing threat during the movie that if she doesn't excel in her arts school's Senior Showcase, she may be forced to appease her mother by attending--gasp, gag--CORNELL. Can you IMAGINE the HORROR?)

If it seems like this review is unnecessarily focused on the looks of the main actors, well, this is a really superficial movie. Which doesn't mean it's a bad one, just that you can't really hope to get much more out of it than some enjoyable eye candy. The characters move around and talk and fall in and out of love and dance a lot, and that's what it is. So as a litmus test for whether it's a bad movie or a decent one, I examine whether I want to punch all the characters in the face or if I enjoy their presence, and in this case it's the latter. So, I liked it.

RATING: 3.5

PROS: Fun dance scenes, likable characters/actors
CONS: Formulaic plot

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462590/

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