Reviewed by Miriam Brent
Stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Adam Sevani, Cassie,
Will Kemp, Danielle Polanco, Christopher Scott, Mari Koda,
Janelle Cambridge, Luis Rosado, Harry Shum Jr
Written by Toni Ann Johnson & Karen Barna
Certification UK PG | US PG-13
Runtime 98 minutes
Directed by Jon Chu
If you're the type who likes to elevate yourself from the masses with your highfalutin taste in films, it's safe to say Step Up 2 The Streets won't be top of your must-see list. OK, so the bottom line is that it's a predictable cheese-fest — but there's no law against enjoying a few guilty pleasures now and again.
Much like the original, Step Up 2 is essentially the story of when cultures collide — a classic "wrong side of the tracks comes good" affair. In this case, it's the hip-hop loving Andie (Evigan) who gets sent to ballet school by her aunt after causing one too many public disturbances with her street-dance "crew", the 4-1-0. Needless to say, the crew — headed up by Andie's boyfriend — feel a pirouetting white girl does little for their all-important street cred, and give her the elbow. The good thing with films like this is that when things reach an all-time low, there's always a handsome stranger to help you through — enter Chase (Hoffman), brother of the school's principal and fellow hip-hop head. Together the two realise that the power of dance can be a unifying force across cultural divides, and set about forming their own crew made up of unappreciated misfits from the school. Heart-warming stuff.
Of course, it's not all plain sailing. If the new crew are to triumph, they'll have to face the wrath of the 4-1-0 — not to mention some less-than-brotherly love from the school principal — before securing themselves as the Big Dogs of the Street (and we're not talking grim northern soaps here, we're talking the Street). See, we said it was predictable. But along with scripted moments of cheese-comedy gold and Andie's penchant for wearing one trouser leg rolled up (I thought only cyclists did that…), you're never truly bored. It's a bit like watching an extended MTV video with some back-story thrown in, and for the most part the dancing is engaging enough in itself.
Aficionados of the scene will, inevitably, disown Step Up 2 — as will lovers of the Coen brothers et al. But if you're open-minded enough to enjoy a bit of harmless, feel-good fun (and big enough to admit it) then you've nothing to lose. After all, there are worse ways to spend 98 minutes. And remember — "It's not where you're from. It's where you're at".
• Step Up 2 The Streets at IMDb