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If you’re a drummer, see this movie. If you like drums even
a little bit, see this movie. No, make that a musician. Or
a human. See Drumline. Catch my drift?
It’s an engaging battle of brilliance versus tradition, old
school versus new, and money versus art, set at fictional
college Atlanta A&T. The university is steeped in marching
band tradition, with particular focus on the drumline, “the
pulse of the band.” In a land where “halftime is game time,”
the pounding Panthers have recruited prodigal young drummer
Devon Miles (Cannon). Talented but sassy, Miles quickly
learns that talent does not get you to the front of the drumline,
discipline does.
Very soon the battle lines are drawn. Even as a freshman,
Devon sees himself as the savior of the program, and has no
qualms about letting section leader Sean (Roberts)
know that he’s gunning for his position as the head of the
drumline, nor letting lead majorette Laila (Saldana)
know he’s interested. Meanwhile, band director Dr. Lee (Jones),
is trying to keep his program concentrated on great music,
despite the trend toward playing watered-down pop hits. The
alumni are pressuring A&T to follow the trends in order
to win the contests—and the money. Dr. Lee is left with a
few major decisions, all of which will affect not only his
job but the entire program.
Going into this film, we didn’t expect much besides some
cool drumline scenes. The movie did not disappoint. In fact,
it could show even seasoned percussionists some new tricks,
and will likely have them jumping from their seats in amazement.
(Some people in the audience literally gave a standing ovation
during the climactic scene.) The choreography becomes a character
of its own, daring the crowd to react. The final 15 minutes
alone are worth the price of admission.
The performances of both Nick Cannon, star and producer of
his eponymous Nickelodeon TV series, and Orlando Jones,
former 7-UP guy and “Mad TV” cast member, are commendable
despite a fairly formulaic plot. A nod to the two female screenwriters,
one of whom interned at “The Cosby Show,” (you win some) and
the other of whom wrote Pauley Shore’s Son-In-Law
(you lose some). Regardless, the script is nothing short of
fantastic. Each character earns our compassion; it just seems
there’s a purpose to each action taken. Innovative! The militant
practices, the frat-style hazing, and the indulgent rivalry
among drummers only increases the reality of what these men
and women deal with. After all, they are THE event at the
“football” game. (Hey, no pressure.)
By the way director Stone did the popular Budweiser
wazzzzup ad campaign, and the executive music producer
who scored on the score (sorry, couldn’t help it) is Dallas
Austin, a well-known pop/hip-hop producer with a groovy
name to boot.
All things considered, we plan to see this movie again when
it opens on Friday the 13th. In the same way Mr. Holland’s
Opus made you want to pick up a clarinet and play some
Mozart, Drumline begs the question, “Can I go
back to college and join the band?”
As Dr. Lee would say, “Let’s get CRUNK.”
—Michelle Fajkus and Eric Thorlin
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out of 5
While we would never encourage anyone to destroy a video... 
