Drumline (2002)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Charles Stone III

Writers (WGA):

Shawn Schepps (story)
Tina Gordon Chism (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Music

Tagline:

Half time is game time

Plot:

A band director recruits a Harlem street drummer to play at a Southern university.

Plot Keywords:

University | Drummer | Fish Out Of Water | Marching Band | Dancing

Awards:

10 nominations

Cast

Nick Cannon	...	Devon Miles
Zoe Saldana	...	Laila (as Zoë Saldana)
Orlando Jones	...	Dr. Lee
Leonard Roberts	...	Sean Taylor
GQ	...	Jayson
Jason Weaver	...	Ernest
Earl Poitier	...	Charles (as Earl C. Poitier)
Candace Carey	...	Diedre
Shay Roundtree	...	Big Rob
Miguel A. Gaetan	...	Trey
J. Anthony Brown	...	Mr. Wade
Afemo Omilami	...	President Wagner
Angela Elayne Gibbs	...	Dorothy Miles (as Angela E. Gibbs)
Tyreese Burnett	...	Henry
Brandon Hirsch	...	Buck Wild

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language.

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #39207) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Canada:PG | Germany:6 | Philippines:G | Spain:T | UK:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

While Morris Brown is a real and prestigious college in Atlanta, there is no real Atlanta A&T. The filming was done at Clark University in Atlanta and at Morris Brown. The performers (aside from those from Morris Brown) were recruited from high school and university bands all over the Atlanta and Metro Atlanta area. High school band director Don Roberts was recruited to turn the performers into real, convincing bands.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: On numerous occasions, the music heard from the drums does not match the hand motions, particularly with the tenors and when Sean is playing in a close-up.

Quotes:

Dr. Lee: I don't know what beef is between you, but you'd better grill it up and eat it, because it is my ass that is on the line.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Robot Chicken: Easter Basket (#2.3)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Phunk-a-Delic (Part 1)

A pleasant surprise!

I'm not a musician and know little about marching bands. However, this movie captivated my attention. The athleticism of these musical marchers was something I had never thought about until watching this excellent movie. The music is wonderful and the drumline competition puts the dueling banjos of yesterday to shame. The story line delivers a good message of how raw talent can be molded into disciplined success. The concept of teamwork and individual goals are blended into a believable and inspiring movie. I found the acting to be very good and will look for the cast in future movies. Nick Cannon and Orlando Jones never leave any doubt about the characters they are playing.