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Part of the charm of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance reality show is that you get to see the hard work behind the little routines. Those people work their tight, little dancer buns off to make it look effortless. The show makes no apologies for tacking on a few new moves onto the tired, old reality/competition formula. We felt the same way about Step Up, a dance movie that overcomes its clichés on sweat and sincerity.
Tyler (Tatum) is a tough kid with some wicked street-dance moves who lives on the wrong side of Baltimore. When he gets caught trashing the Maryland School of the Arts, he has to do community service there as a janitor. Meanwhile, student Nora (Dewan) has lost her dance partner to an injury, and the big all-school showcase is coming up. What could possibly happen next? Sure enough, she reluctantly takes him on as a partner, which he hopes will be easier than emptying wastebaskets. He learns to act more responsibly; she learns to loosen up her dance style. His friends from the streets can’t believe he’s with some snooty ballerina; her friends can’t believe she’s with such a thug. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before.
Step Up is carried along on the sheer exuberant spirit of the actors and its obvious love of dance. Tatum is a muscular, brooding type with animal grace, like Mark Wahlberg in his Marky Mark days, and Dewan has a smoldering sexiness. Their chemistry is better on the dance floor than off, but they sure are trying. And Fletcher, a choreographer by training, captures the dance effectively. There’s not a new move in this routine, but they certainly sell it.—Hank Sartin
