"How She Move" (2008) review and/or viewer comments - Christian Spotlight on the Movies

How She Move

a.k.a. “Step”

MPAA Rating: PG-13

for some drug content, suggestive material and language

Moral Rating:

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Moviemaking Quality:

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Primary Audience:

Teens, Adults

Genre:

Dance, Drama

Length:

1 hr. 38 min.

Year of Release:

2008

USA Release:

January 25, 2008

Relevant Issues

Dancing in the Bible

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Featuring:	Tracey Armstrong, Clé Bennett, David Carmon, Keyshia Cole, DeRay Davis, Nina Dobrev, Romina D'Ugo, Kevin Duhaney, Shawn Fernandez, Sarah Francis, Brennan Gademans, Balford Gordon, Jason Harrow, Jai Jai Jones, Tristan D. Lalla, Daniel Morrison, Dwain Murphy, Mya, Melanie Nicholls-King, Tanisha Scott, Rutina Wesley
Director:	Ian Iqbal Rashid
Producer:	Brent Barclay, Colin Brunton, Jennifer Kawaja, Claire Prieto, Julia Sereny
Distributor:	Paramount Vantage

“Set your dreams in motion.”

Copyrighted, Paramount Vantage
Producer’s Synopsis: “A gifted student, Raya Green, is forced to leave her prestigious private school and return to her old neighbourhood when her parents can no longer afford her tuition, following the tragic death of her sister. Determined to return to her private school, Seaton, Raya endures life at the local high school, suffering the bitterness of her old friend Michelle and her crew and soon finds herself drawn back into a world she knows well -- the world of Step dancing. When Raya realizes she could win some serious prize money (and her ticket back to Seaton) at a fierce Step competition, she convinces the charismatic Bishop to let her join his crew, the Jane Street Junta. As she gets caught up in her desire to win and to escape, Raya struggles with the loss of her sister, her parents pressure on her to succeed, and most of all with herself.”

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Movie Critics

“…a weak movie about a street-style dance called step dancing, groans with inauthenticity.… The exciting routines are the only interesting things in ‘How She Move’.…”
—Julie E. Washington, Cleveland Plain Dealer

“…Fine choreography elevates dance drama… jaw-dropping dance sequences…”
—Mack Bates, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

“…Dazzling dance hides drab dialogue… the million clichés that litter this picture still don't change how relentlessly entertaining it is.…”
—Jason McBride, The Globe and Mail

“…The dance-driven ‘How She Move’ puts a kinetic, fresh face on some familiar plot elements—and the filmmakers showcase the steps, not the edits.… The film generates goodwill the old-fashioned way: It earns it.”
—Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times

“…the dreary, familiar tale unspools in painfully static fashion. If there's a glimmer of imagination here, it's not visible in the finished product.… all the dance numbers run together in a fuzzy, mind-numbing blur.…”
—Randy Cordova, The Arizona Republic

“…God's name is misused a few times.… a step dance movie must have a story. And that part of ‘How She Move’ doesn't quite sparkle the way some of the stepping does.…”
—Bob Hoose, PluggedIn