Stomp the Yard: Critic Reviews

The shallow frat-on-frat rivalry and the poor-boy-loves-rich-girl subplot don't mean a thing. But the stepping does got that swing.

Stomp the Yard is a strange and at times strangely compelling mix of black fraternity recruitment video and inspirational tale about a hip-hop boy in a stepping world.

An inspirational dance movie, which, like an inspirational sports movie, runs on predictable rails.

Director Sylvain White goes by the book, except in the early scenes where he gives new meaning to the concept of a shaky camera. Initially, the camera work is so frenetic as to be off-putting and dizzying.

If you've never seen [stepping], it's quite a show, and Stomp the Yard throws well-deserved light on this somewhat under-the-radar phenomenon.

[Columbus] Short, another pop choreographer, sounds like Vin Diesel, but he moves like a bee. When he dances, he makes sure every girl in the theater goes home stung.

What we get is scene after scene of exhilarating routines, all leading up to the big finale. And with two furiously intense teams ready to dance each other off the stage, it's an absolute winner.

The moves can be remarkable, though ritually repetitive -- male chorus lines of adrenalized automata acting out anger, menace, pride, audacity or joy.

The film's makers get just how rich, even ecstatic, these subcultures of movement can be. It's aggravating then, to see how easily they trip up that vitality with uninspired storytelling.

A nod must be given to choreographer Dave Scott, who skillfully blends the dance styles into an explosive whole. Seeing Stomp the Yard for these bits alone is well worth it.

The results are corny beyond measure. Yet there's something sweet about them.

The movie ends with a generic exhortative quote from Martin Luther King Jr., who probably wasn't talking about synchronized dancing.

The performance sequences are explosively exciting, and Short's acting is almost as accomplished as his acrobatic dance routines.

Stomp the Yard panders to every cheap expectation. Actually, director Sylvain White goes a bit cheaper than his immediate predecessors, drawing out the low booty shots for giggle and jiggle effect.

If you're looking for a dance movie with heart, Stomp the Yard is the ticket.

The dancing is more dynamic than the plotting in Stomp the Yard, an energetic if formulaic underdog tale.

The movie starts with furious team dance-offs, but these aren't as interesting as they should be. Camera trickery keeps slowing down or speeding up everyone's movements, which destroys the amazement factor raised by the documentary Rize.

The script, based on an earlier screenplay by a Florida A&M alum, accomplishes little -- it's basically Drumline, with dancing instead of drum corps.

Perhaps director Sylvain White hoped that this laughably melodramatic film might find its way into the pantheon of urban dance films. But seen against such films as Rize and You Got Served, it's a step in the wrong direction.

The plot is stale though some of the moves are fresh in Stomp the Yard, a Flashdance-like fable about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks who brings his street-wise gangster style to the world of competitive fraternity step dancing.

Dave Scott's choreography is often dynamic and imaginative, but only a true fan is going to crave this much stepping.

The rhythmic step dancing is infectious in the otherwise formulaic underdog flick Stomp the Yard -- so much so, you'll want to see more of it and less of a plot.

There's athleticism and frenetic artistry here, but the film's attempts to make busting moves seem dramatic are about as effective as the hilarious chess-piece slamming in Searching for Bobby Fisher.