Drumline (2002)

African American males often use Music as part of a wonderful learning style and this film is a hilarious and inspiring exposition of this fact. Nick Cannon is on the beat as Devon Miles, a musical prodigy with a gift for rhythm and percussion. Orlando Jones is a revelation as Dr. Lee, a different kind of black hero who uses his mind and his teaching skill to win adventures in learning rather than relying on guns and fists. He easily and naturally reflects the kind of personality that populates many urban environments working tirelessly to raise the tone of the entire community.I also enjoyed the conflict and tension between Cannon's Devon Miles and Leonard Roberts' (of 'Heroes' fame) Sean Taylor, head of the Drum Section at the Southern University Miles has won a scholarship to attend. Once again, as in the movie 'Accepted' the creative nonconformist butts heads with the system and its representatives and learns the value of humility in cultivating natural talent. Something like 'The Natural' with drums, but minus the lightning and the thunder if you discount the emotional fireworks between the lead characters themselves.That's it in a nutshell. The final 'Drum Off' between the two competing Universities at the end of the film captured more about the Black Aesthetic than anything I have seen in a long time. I thought it was a beautiful set piece and kudos to Director Charles Stone III and his Cinematographer Shane Hurlbut. The beautiful thing about this scene was that despite it sensationalistic aspects nobody was maimed or killed to accomplish the ultimate dramatic effect. You can feel the intense passion of the African American to rise above that factor of their legacy that involves oppression and exploitation, but here that angst is discharged creatively rather than destructively.Zoe Saldana (of 'Star Trek' fame) as Laila, the romantic interest of Devon, demonstrates through their relationship the steps our main character must take to socialize his tremendous talent for the greatest benefit to all. J. Anthony Brown makes a worthy adversary as Mr. Wade to Band Leader Dr. Lee before and during the BET Competitions for best University Band in America. But what I really liked was how the story revealed the African American Community seizing Learning and Music as an appropriate choice of weapons for attaining greater freedom with an in-your-face style and panache.

Just to give you some perspective, I was in a college marching band myself. It was in the Midwest though, so we were more "traditional" than what these guys pull off in "Drumline." As it is, my only experience watching a band like this came last year when I saw the Delaware State Marching Band perform.Anyway, onto the movie, which I mostly liked. As many reviewers have pointed out, it features an old fashioned story. Basically, you have a high school hotshot (Nick Cannon) who, while a talented drummer, is a poor team player. When he's recruited to the prestigious Atlanta A & T Band, he believes it's his chance to show his stuff with a superior school. But his cocky nature conflicts with both the values of his section leader and his band teacher, and he will have to learn that it takes more than just talent to be a part of his school's drumline.It's an old-hat Hollywood story, but I will give it credit for getting one thing right about being in a college marching band. You HAVE to be a team player. You need to follow instructions and play your correct part. So I will give the movie credit for showing that.Another thing the movie doesn't skimp on is that college marching band is very tough. While our band did not have to run up and down stairs with our instruments held high or do tons of push-ups, we did have to practice for almost 12 hours a day every day in the August heat, and then practice every day for at least 90 minutes from the September heat to the November snows. You have to treat marching band like it's a living, and this film does a good job showing that too.The acting is fine on almost all counts. I especially enjoyed Orlando Jones as the band teacher; he reminded me of a couple of band teachers I've had in the past. And the marching band performances are zippy, filled with energy, and fun to watch. I guess my only reservation is that I can't think of many people I knew in marching band who had experiences that mirrored Nick's story, so it was hard for me to completely relate to this movie. Then again, marching band is something I take very personally, so it would have been hard for a marching band story to satisfy me anyway.Basically, this is good entertainment, with a couple of good examples of what it's like to be in a college marching band thrown in. Don't be fooled by the 5.2 rating; I have no idea why the rating is so low for this movie. It should be a 6-6.5 at minimum. Considering how few movies there are that even reference marching bands, it's a good thing this movie can at least do some justice for them.

I noticed a common thread in many of the reviews for Drumline on IMDb. Many said the same thing that Drumline surprised them and it was a good thing. I'm not sure many people ever think about a marching band being a true test of music like bands, or dancing, or rock singing and certainly you don't really think of it as competitive and yet out comes Drumline and changes all of that with style and flare. I know nothing about marching bands or American Universities for that matter (yes I am Canadian) so I don't know how much truth there is to the film but it just happens to be very entertaining, fun, touching, and well delivered all around. It's not perfection or award winning or a feat of film making and yet it seems to be something that everyone just sits down and really enjoys. One of the keys to music films is of course the music. The more I like the music personally...the greater the film...consider Dirty Dancing, or Mama Mia, or Hairspray but the odd thing about Drumline is that the music is not typical or any type or brand. They do play modern music with their marching band but the story is what keeps the film afloat and truly entertains.Nick Cannon is cocky but brutally talented Devon Miles. Cannon holds the role very well. He comes across as smart, and well spoken and talented but his character is very entertaining and has quite an arc to his story throughout the film. Zoe Saldana is Devon's love interest in the film. Saldana is a talented actress, I've seen her perform very well but other than being a love interest she doesn't really get a whole lot to deal with in her character. The character is under developed unfortunately but Saldana and Cannon make a good couple with great chemistry between them. Orlando Jones is terrific and gives truly a stand out performance as Dr. Lee, the leader of the marching band. Jones gives a moving performance and really gives the film nearly all of it's heart and power.Director Charles Stone III is seemingly new to the directors chair for Hollywood films but he seems to hold his own making a spectacle of marching bands. The sheer concept seems ludicrous and yet marching bands and the entire competition never seemed so exciting and entertaining. I am actually surprised that the film makers didn't decide to milk this film for straight to DVD sequels although there is still time. So if you're looking for something light hearted with some intense competition and yet something completely different from other films in the same genre this one is almost certain to entertain you. A solid film. 8/10

"Drumline" is quite a remarkable movie in my opinion, and not just because I am a musician & former marching band student. Not everyone will agree with me, but I think the story is well crafted, the characters are very likable, and the film maintains the audience's interest throughout. The main character is Devon Miles (Nick Cannon), a hotheaded young drummer who has received a full scholarship at Atlanta A & T University to play snare drum in the very prestigious marching band. Devon proves to be the best drummer on the line (even though he secretly cannot read music), but his overly inflated ego becomes a liability for him, particularly in his numerous confrontations with drumline section leader Sean Taylor (Leonard Roberts). Over the course of the season, Devon learns to curb his cocky attitude, and he and Sean become the best of friends as Sean helps him learn to read music.Highlights: At Devon's high school graduation, the percussion section in the concert band suddenly bursts with a funky rock beat (instigated by Devon) during the band's performance of "I Believe I Can Fly." On the opening day of marching band training at Atlanta A & T, we hear a couple of great renditions of "When the Saints Go Marching In"; a little later, the camera dollies backward across different sections of the band (whose leaders feel that THEIRS is the most important section in the band) before stopping on the drumline. Devon plays his audition piece flawlessly without looking down at the sheet music once; he then decides to add a little something of his own at the end. Bass drummer Jayson Flore (GQ) becomes furious when his roommate challenges him for his spot on the field and beats him; near the end of the season, the smartened-up Devon helps Jayson retrieve his spot. There is quite a bit of excitement in the air when the Atlanta A & T Marching Band takes the field for the first time (I certainly remember how thrilling it was for ME in college marching out onto a football field for the first time in front of thousands of spectators); tension mounts as Devon unexpectedly duets Sean's drum solo and then takes over completely! The hip-hop stylings of the Morris Brown College Marching Band contrast Atlanta A & T's "Flight of the Bumblebee." And the final drumline battle between Morris Brown and A & T at the B.E.T. Big Southern Classic is sheer cutthroat competition! "Drumline" is a wonderfully entertaining movie with flashy camera work for the numerous marching band performances. Watching the Atlanta A & T band drilling, rehearsing, and shaping up over the course of the season is quite a joy, and for a musician like myself, this film is one that will never lose its appeal. Aside from the pivotal character of Devon Miles, one other character I particularly admire is Dr. James Lee (Orlando Jones), director of the A & T Marching Band. Dr. Lee is a fine, straight-laced, hard-working director who deeply cares about the progress of his students and who continually strives for excellence. A majority of his instruction to the band has been part of my own instruction as a marching band student, particularly the concept that just ONE person's actions in the band can affect EVERYBODY.