Although the plot complications are relatively straightforward and easy to follow, you just might want to keep a “street slang-to-English” dictionary handy to help you through some of the dialogue. Unfortunately, the predictability of the storyline and the triteness of the romantic entanglements pretty much vitiate the attractive novelty of the context and setting.

That pretty much leaves just the dancing, which isn’t all that terrific, actually, thanks to the frenetic, hurdy-gurdy quality of the editing, which breaks up the movements and prevents the dancers from establishing a smooth-flowing rhythm and style. We see their dance routines only in fragmented bits and pieces, a technique that does little justice to the vision and hard work of the performers, who clearly possess an impressive store of untapped energy and talent. At least that’s more than can be said for the acting, which ranges in quality from the merely passable to the distressingly amateurish.

There are moments of inspirational racial pride sprinkled in among the melodrama and dance sequences, but they are quickly swept away by the contrivances and cliches that ultimately inundate the film.

Stomp on over to the refund counter.

The story might be predictable…but the stomping is amazing. The big standout in the film is of course Columbus Short as a lead actor. Though he has many dancing and television credits on his resume, this film marks his first turn in a lead film role–and it is the perfect opportunity. Short is an above-average talent who possesses the kind of charm and screen presence that could make him a leading man for his generation. He plays the part of D.J., a teen-age dancer who battles competitively in Los Angeles until tragedy strikes. Eventually, he is sent by his mother to live in Atlanta with his uncle and aunt, who have helped him enroll in the historically Black Truth University. While D.J. takes classes and works at Truth, he is drawn to the culture of stepping at Black fraternities. He soon finds a way to mesh his talents with his new environment, while also pursuing a new love interest, April (Meagan Goode). Against the odds, D.J.–young, talented and arrogant– is drawn into the competition of his life.

After watching this you will come to fine out that some musicians such as Ne-Yo and Chris Brown can be actors too. They both provided some comical relief and some pretty good acting I thought that “Stomp the Yard” was a good movie. Very entertaining, and the dancing was remarkable, but it had a deep inner message to go with it… for young and old alike! There is so much talent in our young African Americans but at times directed in the wrong direction. What was also likable and quite inspiring, is a scene in which the main character visits an honorary hall, filled with various pictures of national African-American figures affiliated with many well-known fraternities. Some of the people shown? Esther Rolle, Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, and Martin Luther King, to name a few. This scene really gave me a sense of pride when I saw it, and a respect for the leaders of the past.

Though the electric dance routines give this movie its vibrant energy. It may not be representative of what happens on Black campuses or inside Black fraternities but it offers nuance about the campus stepping culture–new school versus old school, traditional versus styles influenced by hip hop and break dancing. I appreciate “Stomp the Yard” for trying to show a well-known culture in a respected community, but it might not go as deep as you might expect it to be other than that it’s a good movie.

This is an enjoyable movie. The actors all do a very good job — no small feat considering some of the leads are dancers and not actors — and of course, the dancing is all it’s cracked up to be. The plot is mildly engaging, even though it’s thoroughly predictable and has been done over and over. Sometimes characters seemed to change too quickly and do things that were out of character; but plot isn’t really what this movie is about. This is a dancing film with a very simple conflict story thrown in — the kind that usually drives low-brow sports comedies, of underdog team against a dynasty, and two members of those teams having a personal grudge.

Honestly, I didn’t start off enjoying this film. I’m not hip enough to keep up with the gangsta dance battle that takes place at the beginning of the film, especially the way the camera was jerking around; I had a hard time distinguishing between dancers, etc. and was not anywhere near familiar enough with the dancing to have any kind of sense for who was better or why. But I did end up liking (not loving) the film by the end. And I do appreciate artistically the way the director deftly changed the whole look and mood of the movie from the dangerous street dancing in the opening’s gangland LA to the more peaceful intensity of the rest of the movie’s Georgia college setting. It helped lend a sense of repressed danger to Columbus Short’s lead character that made the threats of his frat-boy enemies seem disingenuous.

Short, by the way, turns in a quiet performance in the most critical role that really glues the film together.

To summarize, this film is worth a look as a rental. Whether or not you want to own it would depend on how much you enjoy the dancing sequences.