Step Up *** (2006, Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, Alyson Stoner, Rachel Griffiths, Josh Henderson, Drew Sidora) – Classic Movie Review 4640

Director Anne Fletcher’s corny but ingratiating hit 2006 American romantic dance film stars Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.

The story takes place in Baltimore, Maryland, and follows the characters and fates of the sulky, surly, disadvantaged Tyler Gage (Tatum), a talented hip hop dancer, and the privileged modern ballet performer Nora Clark (Dewan).

Tyler breaks into the Maryland School of Arts and trashes the school’s theatre, damaging the props. When a security guard appears, Tyler takes the blame for the vandalism and is sentenced to 200 hours of community service, to be served at the school.

There he spots and meets Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan) at a dance class, a student preparing for her Maryland School of Arts senior showcase. The duo then find themselves paired up in a showcase that determines their futures, and, after much friction, they finally decide to work together.

More dancing, more story, more originality would be good, but it is still quite a lot of fun. Mean and moody, the 26-year-old Tatum proves quite the bright star both on the personal magnetism and dance fronts. He is the making of the movie, though it is interesting that the series successfully managed to survive his departure.

Alyson Stoner co-stars as Camille Gage, Tyler’s foster sister, also a talented hip hop dancer, Rachel Griffiths as the brisk MSA director, Josh Henderson as Brett Dolan, Nora’s conceited ex-boyfriend, Drew Sidora as Nora’s best friend Lucy, Mario Barrett as skilled DJ Miles Darby who has a crush on Lucy, and Damaine Radcliff as Tyler’s best friend Mac Carter, whose younger brother is Skinny (De’Shawn Washington).

The film proved immensely successful – on a $12 million cost it earned $114 million – and is the first installment in the Step Up franchise and is followed by four sequels, Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), Step Up 3D (2010), Step Up 4: Revolution (2012) and Step Up 5: All In (2014).

Dewan met Tatum on the set of Step Up, began dating shortly after filming had finished. They got engaged in early September 2008 and married on July 11, 2009.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4640

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