Marching to a different beat

Drumline

Starring Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones and Zoe Saldana

Directed by…

Drumline

Starring Nick Cannon, Orlando Jones and Zoe Saldana

Directed by Charles Stone III

Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) is talented on the snare and not afraid to show it. Hailing from Harlem, Devon has a full scholarship to Atlanta A’T (a fictional college) to join the marching band’s drum line.

Marching band director Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones) is rather old-school and believes more in musicianship than playing popular songs on the radio that the audience will want to dance to. This gets him in trouble with the administration of A’T – they just want him to win competitions so the alumni will continue to fund the program. Devon’s showboat moves impress the alumni, but they irritate his band director and alienate him from his teammates.

Don’t underestimate the power of “Drumline.” The band members portrayed are nothing like the “bandies” you remember from high school. Not only do they put in long hours practicing formations and songs, they do push-ups, sit-ups, laps around the football field, and run up the bleacher stairs with their instruments, whether it’s a flute or a tuba. After practice they party at hot dance clubs and look forward to Friday Fried Okra night.

When it’s time for the band to perform, they throw down. The music is hip, loud and fun to listen to. The performances are exciting, with people dancing with saxophones and using drums in innovative ways. When it’s competition time, the tension is electric, almost radiating from the movie screen. The scenes are expertly filmed so that the movement of the band is easy to follow.

While the plot of the movie is nothing new – Devon has to learn the meaning of “team” much like others have done in the past – the way the story is told is what makes the movie so creative. Not many movies have focused on the “show-style” marching bands of black colleges. Against this backdrop, “Drumline” becomes unique and engaging.

The mix of interesting characters and heart-thumping marching band music help this movie to rise above a simple teen movie. It’s a film that marches to the beat of its own drummer, with surprisingly good results.