Steve Pulaski The urban culture depicted in Drumline is without a doubt the softened, fictionalized version built for a PG-13 film. Yet it doesn't need to be vulgar. It's a sweet, innocuous parable about a school's marching band, erecting a pleasantly unfamiliar atmosphere known to few American audiences, and too, showcasing actors of charm and set-pieces that almost touch the status of sublime.I've had a countless number of debates that centered around school and extra-curricular activities and my general disinterest in many of them. I could always admire the time, effort, and devotion many put into their favorite activities, whatever they may be, but my place is more behind a computer rather than out on a field or a track. I've continuously mentioned, however, how school bands, both at high school and college level, go mostly unrecognized due to the "bigger" entertainment that awaits after they finish. There's an enormous amount of practice, perfection, and devotion that go into making a band a success, and Drumline makes no attempt at shortchanging that.The film centers on the likable, yet troubled Devon Miles (Nick Cannon), who has just graduated from high school and looks to pursue an invaluable four years at Atlanta A&T University. He wants to continue formulating his musicianship and excellence in the field of percussion, and has aspirations to make the awe-inspiring drumline the school has to offer. Yet because of his smarmy, often surly attitude, his position on the band is rather in limbo with Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), who is annoyed by his ability to change not only moods but notes at random. Then there's the romance we love to watch unfold. This time, it's with Zoe Saldana, who plays Laila, who is often off-put by Devon's attitude, yet knows there is a good person wrestling with the worse one.This sort of inner-character-conflict can grow tedious at times, with Devon adopting a rather up-and-down personality to almost everything and often challenging those who do not look to challenge him. But Drumline doesn't capitalize off of this so much as it does several things that boost its story above the level of simple Saturday morning fare. For one, it is occupied with riveting, highly-detailed set-pieces that exfoliate the theatricalities beautifully, also allowing the set design and painstaking choreography to assume the forefront.Secondly, it pleasantly subtracts needless elements of the story that could've further stretched out the already lengthy film to a level channeling tedium. For example, the film is in a grand-ole position to have Devon kicked off the school band because of the potential possibility that he is not doing well in his classes (we only see him on the field practicing or performing and rarely with his head in a book or body in a desk). Thankfully, there's no contrivance that Devon is very skilled when behind a drum, but in a desk he's inept and anemic, and there's the reason he can not be on the band. When he is punished, he is for his own belligerence and disobedience to policy and disrespect of intimidating authority. He's a flawed character. Not a stupid one.And finally, writers Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps prevent the entire project from veering off into mawkish sentimentality, despite, yet again, being in a great position to do so. Throughout the film, there are hints that Devon's absent father only affected him in a small way, seeing as he was still kept fulfilled, nourished, and motivated by his peers and, most importantly, his mother. What Drumline doesn't need is a sob-story about a youth who is troubled because of the lack of a father figure he somehow managed to get by with for several years up until college begins. Again, Devon is a victim of his own actions. Not the fact that he lacks a father figure.Then there's the obligations I have as an aspiring film critic, or an amateur one, whatever may have you. That is to recognize that the film does rely on formula and familiarity to get by for a good portion of its runtime. But the reason we watch a story like this unfold and stick around for the two hour runtime is because we enjoy the setup, reside with the characters, sympathize, or even possibly empathize, with what they're going through. The film is an achievement worth cherishing, and if it may be labeled as contrived filmmaking, it should at least be worthy enough to take notes from. Insert drum pun here to conclude review.Starring: Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, and Orlando Jones. Directed by: Charles Stone III.

billcr12 Nick Cannon(or Mariah Carey's husband) is Devon Miles, a talented drummer who graduates from high school in New York City, and is accepted into a mostly black college to play in a marching band. The leader tells him that he must learn to read music and to be a member of the team. He is arrogant and a show off, which causes friction with the rest of the band, and eventually, after a fight with a rival school's drummer, he is thrown out. Another school offers him a full scholarship to join their band and compete in a contest with his present school. The complication is a girlfriend, Laila(Zoe Saldana), who is a dancer and a classmate. After the usual confrontations, Devon rejoins the marching band, and leads them against the other college in a drum off, which is really well done and makes Drumline an exceptionally entertaining movie a 7.5/10.

Gunnar_Runar_Ingibjargarson Once you've seen Drumline, halftime shows will become works of art. This formulaic yet surprisingly captivating movie honors the military precision of college football marching bands, those battalions of eager, sternly disciplined brass sections, drummers, and fly girls who turn halftime shows into well-oiled Vegas variety acts on steroids. Devon (played by Will Smith protégé Nick Cannon) is a cocky Brooklyn kid with a snare-drumming scholarship to (fictional) Atlanta A&T University. He can't read music (he lied on his application) and his attitude sucks, but he's the best natural drummer the college has ever had, so he quickly rises through the marching band ranks. The school year brings Devon the obligatory girlfriend (Zoë Saldana, smart and charming); clashes with his old-school band director (Orlando Jones); and well-earned redemption at the championship marching band showdown. No surprises here, but great chemistry all around, and a fantastic, positive role-model showcase for a musical form that has evolved far beyond the main street parades of Smalltown, U.S.A.

sroyjones The "talented young smart-ass goes to college and learns there's more to life than being skillful or clever" theme is an old one and it's been done better many times in the past. Robert Young learned about teamwork in "Navy Blue and Gold." More recently Rob Lowe learned the lesson in "Oxford Blues." The difference between Drumline and these and other older films on the same theme is that the lead characters evoked more sympathy. Nick Cannon's Devon Miles character is a self-centered, posturing, swaggering jackass who evokes immediate dislike and though you see him grow up a little in the course of the film, you never really learn to like or respect him.Drumline also suffers from an identity crisis of its own. You're never really sure what sort of story it wants to tell. Is is a "coming of age" story, a drama, a comedy, a romance? It tries to be all of these at once and never seals the deal on any of them.Drumline could have told a good story about a New York kid learning that there's more than one way to be black in this world. There are a couple of hints of that in Devon's relationship with Laila. Her comment to Devon: "Southern sisters don't date...we have boyfriends," could have been an opening to a good subplot about differences in black culture between different parts of the US, but, as with so many other possible plots, the story touches it lightly, and then flits off to something else. An arrogant young freshman such as Devon would have had many lessons to learn while finding his way in this environment, but the film misses nearly every opportunity to show us the relationships between the characters in any depth, so the performances come off as predictable and mechanical.All the same, I've seen Drumline several times and enjoyed it for what it does very well. The presentation of the music and and the work that goes into running a big university marching band are very good. I could have done with more of both. The all-too-brief glimpses of life at a black southern university are well done. Again, I could have done with more of that as well. Drumline also had moments of humor, and some visually engaging camera work, especially in the music scenes.I like this movie. I just wish it had been better done.