Jette Kernion at Cinematical reviews Disney’s Step Up. Jette says it’s better than Take The Lead (starring Antonio Banderas), which might be faint praise. But the two films share a very similar storyline. Step Up follows the journey of Tyler (Channing Tatum) and Nora (Jenna Dewan) as they meet from opposite sides of the tracks and are brought together through dance.
Tyler’s struggles with his dead-end home environment, the possibilities he discovers at the art school, and the ways this affects his longtime friendship with Mac are meant to be the focus of the film. However, the teenage-girl characters are surprisingly strong, and I found them more interesting and complex than the guys.
The film from first time director, long time hollywood choreographer, Anne Fletcher is no Astaire-Rogers classic. But for a Disney dance film, Step Up is good enough. Step Up opens today. (MetaCritic Score at presstime: 50)
Reviews elsewhere:
Entertainment Weekly – New York Daily News – New York Times