Product Description

Halftime is party time in this high-energy comedy about a gifted street drummer (Nick Cannon) who snares the top spot in a university marching band - but quickly discovers it takes more than talent to succeed. Featuring a hip-hop soundtrack and dazzling dance moves, Drumline "shakes, rattles and rolls the house!" (Washington Post)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #62940 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-04-15
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 118 minutes

Amazon.com
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. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

Feel good, feel good, feel real good....
that's what you'll think when you finish this DVD!

It's a great flick! If you've ever been in a marching band, no matter how long ago, it will bring it right back to you. Now, most of us only dreamed of being in bands the caliber of those featured in drumline. They are the cream....I didn't catch the names of the REAL marching bands that participated in the movie (the college names are fictional, I believe)...but they were the stars of this particular show.

The filmmakers captured the difficulty and exhuberance of being a part of "one band, one music" and the dedication these young people have to being the best at what they do. The only recognizable actor is intense Orlando Jones, as Mr. Lee...and he is very good at what he does.

The plot is pretty typical...boy who is a little different from the crowd has incredible talent, faces adversity, finds love, finds his way back to his dream. The boy is a newcommer named Nick Cannon, who has a real screen persona. He's hard not to like. The real star is the music, and the marching, and the in your face color spectacle of being involved in marching band at the college competition level.

For a real feel-good experience, catch Drumline. It's awesome!

Up-tempo
Definitely feeling the effects of the economy and it's the beginning of a long winter in Chicago. I needed a good movie to get me out of myself and what better way to get away from the doldrums then with some very un-dull drumming.

Devin Miles has just arrived from NYC at Atlanta A&T University with a full drumming scholarship. Used to being a stand-out, he's not ready to follow bandleader Aaron Lee's directive to be "One Band, One Sound." He thinks he's too good to follow the rules -- and he just may be. But, as Dr. Lee tells him, "You've got to learn to follow before you can lead."

Devin clashes with Dr. Lee and with the drumline's student leader, Sean -- who'd been the best drummer until Devin showed up. But Devin has an undeniably rich and creative spirit. Can he fit in without losing his individuality -- a question we recognize from real life. When does compromising have benefits and when not? Despite Devin's cockiness, he's a very likable guy and wanting to know how he resolves this issue carried me easily through this two hour movie.

Orlando Jones also makes the movie fly. As Dr. Lee, he's the personification of principled decency -- in fact, he's awesome and will totally make you forget those 7 Up commercials. In the beginning, a rival bandleader alleges that Dr. Lee has a baton stuck up his ... well, you don't hear it, but he probably didn't say "bass." But, as the story progresses, Dr. Lee reveals himself to be an interesting and complex personality who, despite a propensity for "old time music", does indeed know how to make his band pop. (And, in the end, he comes up with a stylistic triumph that evokes more than those "old time" tunes.)

Devin's ups and downs are somewhat predictable, but this is one of those movies with a feel-good factor that made me happy to overlook that completely. The music and moves electrify. Nothing could have peeled me from my seat during the story's culmination in the BET marching band championship. I had to remind myself that I was in a movie theater to keep from cheering from our "stadium" seating. Although the movie is rated PG-13, it's appropriate for most ages. I don't recall any cursing, Devin's scenes with his girlfriend are very chaste and there's a brief scene of non-graphic fisticuffs. If you're a fan of percussion, you'll really love this movie. But even if not, and you're just looking for a seasonal up-lift, well, it can't be ... beat.

One of the Most Fun Movies I've Seen in a While
Let me preface my comments with my bias first: I am a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA, so the notion of a movie set on an historically black college campus (A&T-filmed on CAU's beautiful campus) gets points out the gate. This movie, however, managed to do something that its ealier predecessor's failed to do: entertain, educate, and rally the audience all at the same time.

"Drumline" is your classic story of a highly talented and cocky freshman coming into his own by bumping heads with authority and consequently learning to respect the differences. Where this movie picks up major points is that it takes you directly into the heart of a culture (HBC bands) and helps to preserve on film to some and present to others something that has an awesome legacy in Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

There is something incredibly awesome about seeing bands battle on the big screen. The adrenaline gets going and you find yourself cheering during the competitions. When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I knew I would have to see it.

Nick Cannon does a wonderful job with the main character, Devin. And less we forget, the extras in this movie were totally on point. I'm so glad that this movie was as well done and well received as it was, and I hope that Hollywood takes note and gives us more movies like this one.

Also worth mentioning, excluding some very light profanity, this is pretty much a good movie for anyone to watch, be it families, dates, or just friends hanging out. I know that this DVD will be the highlight of my collection for a while.