Step Up

Step Up(舞出我人生)is a 2006 dance film directed by Anne Fletcher. Step Up was the first directorial credit for choreographer Anne Fletcher, who designed dance routines for the films Bring It On, She's All That, and Boogie Nights. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows the tale of the disadvantaged Tyler Gage and the privileged modern dancer Nora Clark, who find themselves paired up in a showcase that determines both of their futures. Realizing that they only have one chance, they finally work together. The original title of this film was going to be "Music High". And Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum, the actors who played the protagonists of this movie, got married in July of 2009. They met on the set of Step Up.

Directed by: Anne Fletcher

Produced by: Jennifer Gibgot Adam Shankman Patrick Wachsberger

Written by: Duane Adler Melissa Rosenberg

Music by: Aaron Zigman

Cinematography: Michael Seresin

Editing by: Nancy Richardson

Studio: Eketahuna LLC Summit Entertainment

Distributed by: Touchstone Pictures

Release date: August 19, 2006

Running time: 98 min

Country: United States

Language: English

Rating: PG(View content advisory for parents)-13 by MPAA(Motion Picture Association of America)

Genre: Dance Romance

Channing TatumChanning Tatum as Tyler Gage

Damaine Radcliff as Mac Carter

De'Shawn Washington III as Skinny Carter

Josh Henderson as Brett Dolan

Deirdre Lovejoy as Katherine Clark

Rachel Griffiths as Director Gordan

Jenna DewanJenna Dewan as Nora Clark

Mario as Miles Darby

Drew Sidora as Lucy Avila

Heavy D as Omar

Alyson Stoner as Camille Gage

Ash Judge as Howie Feltersnatch

In Baltimore, the troublemaker and street dancer Tyler Gage(Channing Tatum)lives with his foster parents in an Afro-American lower class neighborhood. His best friends are Mac Carter(Damaine Radcliff)and his little brother Skinny Carter(De'Shawn Washington)and they use to hang around together, going to parties and stealing cars. After being expelled of a party, Mac, Skinny Carter and Tyler Gage break into the Maryland School of Arts and damage many of the props in the school's theatre. When a security guard appears, Tyler helps the other two escape and accepts the blame. He is sentenced to 200 hours of community service, which he has to serve at the school. While working, he watches a dance class and meets Nora Clark (Jenna Dewan), a student preparing for her "senior showcase." The performance could determine if she gets a job with a dance company. Later, Tyler mockingly shows his friends some of the dance moves he learned while watching the school's ballet dancers, mixing them with break-dance.

Nora's dance partner sprains his ankle, leaving Nora without a partner. After auditioning some other students, she doesn't meet anyone who is good enough. Tyler offers to help, but she at first refuses. Eventually she changes her mind, having seen him dancing earlier, and convinces Director Gordon (Rachel Griffiths) to allow Tyler to rehearse with her. During their initial practice session, Tyler is antagonistic toward Nora as well as her boyfriend, both of whom respond with haughty attitudes. As they continue to rehearse, Nora and Tyler grow closer, each teaching the other about their respective styles of dance. Tyler also befriends a musician at the school named Miles, who has a crush on Nora's friend Lucy.

One day, Nora takes Tyler to a special spot on the waterfront, which is where she envisioned her routine. She tells Tyler she always imagined it would be with a large group, and Tyler helps her dream come true by recruiting younger dancers from the school to perform in her number. Nora's boyfriend gets a recording deal with a company, but in doing so, dumps Miles to sign the deal. Nora then breaks up with her boyfriend after seeing his poor treatment of their friend.

Tyler asks Director Gordon if she will let him attend the school, and her response is that he must prove to her that he deserves a chance. Upon hearing this, Nora says the showcase can be his audition. After dancing together at a club, Nora and Tyler begin a romantic relationship. However, when Nora's dance partner returns, seemingly healed from his injury, Tyler feels that he is no longer needed in the routine, and angrily accuses Nora of treating him the same way her ex- boyfriend treated Miles. He leaves the group and Nora and goes back to janitorial work at the school. Later on, Tyler's friend Skinny, who is also Mac's brother, is fatally shot after stealing a car, prompting Mac and Tyler to realize that they need to make better choices in their lives.

Nora again loses her partner because he is not able to do the routine that Nora and Tyler came up with together. Nora finally decides to do her senior showcase solo. However, without a partner, the routine is not as good and she knows she will not be able to get accepted into any dance troupes. Before the showcase starts, Tyler arrives, and after making up they perform the showcase together. Nora is offered a place in a professional dance troupe, and Tyler is accepted into the Maryland School of Arts.

All of the artwork displayed in the school comes from Carver Center for the Arts and Technology, a high school in Baltimore County. The artwork is from students in the visual arts prime.

The soundtrack features music from Mario, Ciara, Drew Sidora, Kelis, Chris Brown, Yung Joc, Blaire Reinhard, and Chamillionaire. The lead singles from the soundtrack are Sean Paul and Keyshia Cole's "Give It Up To Me" Remix and Ciara single, "Get Up" featuring Chamillionaire. It was released August 8. Other tracks include Kelis' "80s Joint", Anthony Hamilton's "Dear Life", YoungBloodZ's "Imma Shine" and Petey Pablo's "Show Me The Money". The title track is performed by newcomer Samantha
Jade and produced by Wyclef Jean. The soundtrack was certified gold by the RIAA(Recording Industry Association of America)on May 3, 2007.

Despite many bad reviews from critics, Step Up earned a total of $21 million in its opening weekend, ranking second in the North American
box office and exceeding the film's budget of $12 million. As of October 19, 2006, the day it closed, it had earned $65,328,121 in the
United States and Canada. Worldwide, the movie grossed $114,191,952. The DVD for Step Up was released on December 19, 2006.

Nora: Okay, um, I get it. You're not gonna use me to get out of
cleaning the windows, even if you were capable of dancing.
Tyler Gage: I'm not trying to get out of anything. And I know you saw
me the other day.
Nora: Thank you, but, umm, I can find someone else.
Tyler Gage: Aight. I was just trying to help.
Nora: Okay, wait.
Nora: Catch me.
Tyler Gage: Now what?
Nora: Um... put me down.

Skinny Carter: yo lemme do it this time.
Mac Carter: Skin, you the look out.
Skinny Carter: But why can't I do it this time?
Tyler Gage: Can you do it?
Skinny Carter: Yeah.
Tyler Gage: Let him do it then.
Mac Carter: You know what? Here you go tough guy.
Mac Carter: See that one right there. Go get it.
Tyler Gage: That car's got an alarm on it.
Mac Carter: I know.
Tyler Gage: [the car alarm goes off and the boys run away] Dude, I told
you that alarm was gonna go off.
Skinny Carter: Wait a minute. Ya'll set me up?
Tyler Gage: You shoulda saw your face.

When Mac discovers Tyler is dancing at the school for the first time and they go outside, Mac's shirt is buttoned on the lowest button. It then switches to being buttoned on the second lowest button, and then back to the lowest button.

When they are standing looking over the bay, we can see the port on the other side. There is a large ship which is being loaded. After there is
a close up of the two talking and they are about to begin dancing we see the cranes are up and the ship has vanished.

When Miles comes to take his laptop in the Dance Room, he has his laptop in his hands when leaving, after talking to Tyler. However, when Nora comes in with Brett to talk about finding her new dance partner, Miles' laptop is back again at the table in the background. A while later, his laptop is not there anymore.

"Step Up isn't a movie. It's a sign you see when you enter the lightly elevated booths at the Rock Bottom Brewery."
Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun-Times

"You know those footprints pasted on the floor by dance instructors so students know where to move next? Step Up operates in much the same,
structured way: one, two, three, flirt; one, two, three, conflict; one, two, three, shake your booty to a lather; rinse off and repeat."
Steve Persall in the St. Petersburg Times.

"Step Up is a likable product that's refreshingly free of vulgarity."
critic Jeannette Catsoulis

When it comes to summer movies, everything is computer generated, loud and most of the time sad, with Step Up none of those adjectives come to mind. It's not going to win any Oscars but it's going to entertain without over staying it's welcome. At a cool hour and a half it's a nice escape as apposed to some other summer blockbusters that don't deliver as well as this little film and run twice as long.

Unlike similar movies where the audience agonizingly waits through scene after scene of boredom for a grand dance finale, Step Up treats the audience to several impressive, memorable sequences thoughtfully scattered throughout the movie. Finally, we are entertained by a dance flick where the leads (Jenna Dewan and Channing Tatum) are both beautiful to watch, have good chemistry and can really deliver the
moves.

Teen Choice Awards
Won, Choice Movie: Dance
Nominated, Choice Movie Actor: Drama, Channing Tatum
Nominated, Choice Movie: Drama

Young Artist Awards
Nominated, Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young
Actress, Alyson Stoner