| | | Half Time is Game Time.
Features: DVD, Special Edition, Spanish, Subtitled, Sensormatic
Halftime is party time in this high-energy comedy about a gifted street drummer (Nick Cannon) who snares the top spot in a university marching band--but quickly discovers it takes more than talent to succeed. Featuring a hip-hop soundtrack and dazzling dance moves, Drumline "shakes, rattles and rolls the house!" (Washington Post).
"Brimming with energy and spirit." Ann Hornaday, The Washington Post
"...funny, sexy, and rousing." Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
"The symbols float like butterflies and the spinning styx sting like bees. I wanted more." Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
Editor's Note
Charles Stone III's crowd-pleasing drama spotlights the previously unheralded world of university marching bands--more specifically, the cutthroat world that energizes Southern black campuses. Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) is a Harlem teenager who receives a full scholarship to attend Atlanta A&T University based on his excellent percussion talents. However, making the transition from hip-hop street drumming to the drumline of the school's legendary marching band is more challenging than Miles expected. For one, the band director, Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), is determined to reclaim the national championship using old-school tactics, even though his traditional beliefs appear to be leaving A&T in the dust. And then there is Sean (Leonard Roberts), the current drum leader, who is threatened by Devon's skills and frustrated by his fierce individuality. These antagonistic forces, as well as the addition of a cheerleading love interest (Zoe Saldana), combine to test Devon's previously unshakeable confidence. As the season builds toward the BET Big Southern Classic and a showdown with rival Morris Brown University, Devon must swallow his pride and learn to be a team player if he wants his band to win the championship. DRUMLINE proves that any subject can make for an invigorating work of entertainment, if handled properly.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: Spanish |
| Entertainment Reviews
 | Drumline - DVD Review By: David Levine - filmcritic.com DVD Reviews Published on: 1/18/2008 7:23 PM | | The film centers around Devon (Nick Cannon), a freshman recruited to attend Atlanta AandT University on a full ride scholarship to play in the school’s marching band. He’s an overachiever with a chip on his shoulder who thinks he knows everything about playing the drums. At tryouts, which look more like boot camp, Devon disrespects his band director Dr. Aaron Lee (Orlando Jones) by refusing to participate with the rest of the group. A power struggle soon ensues between Devon and his drumline section leader Sean (Leonard Roberts) who feels the freshman’s talent threatens his position at the top of the food chain....read the full review |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 2/17/2009 |
| Running Time: 127 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 2257384 | | UPC: 00024543488002 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew | Leonard Roberts | | Nick Cannon | | Orlando Jones | | Zoe Saldana | | Bill Pankow - Editor | | Charles C. Bennett - Production Designer | | Charles Stone, III - Director | | Dallas Austin - Executive Producer | | John Powell - Original Music By | | Nicholas Scott - Art Director | | Patricia Bowers - Editor | | Shane Hurlbut - Cinematographer | | Shawn Schepps - Based On Story By | | Tina Gordon Chism - Screenplay | | Wendy Finerman - Producer |
| Awards |
Nominee (2003) | | | Image Award, Drumline, Outstanding Motion Picture | | | MTV Award, Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Best Kiss | | | MTV Award, Nick Cannon, Breakthrough Male Performance |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Bouncy, boisterous and charming....[It] becomes downright thrilling when it shows the bands in action..." 12/13/2002 p.E35USA Today
"...Stone makes the drum competition scenes, already inherently photogenic, stirring to watch..." 12/13/2002 p.8E Los Angeles Times
"...[An] entertaining and enthusiastically told tale?.The film has also been smart in picking its lively, likable cast....If rhythm and movement are important to you, this is a film that deserves a spot on your dance card..." 12/13/2002 p.C12 Entertainment Weekly
"DRUMLINE does more than capture the excitement of marching bands; it gets their clockwork beauty as well....Funny, sexy and rousing..." 01/03/2003 p.47 Box Office
"...Saldana is beautiful and delightful..." 03/01/2003 p.61 ReelViews 8 of 10
Just when I thought I had seen every conceivable twist on the Rocky storyline, along comes something like Drumline to surprise me. Despite being pure formula from start to finish, this movie works for two obvious reasons: a star-making turn by Nick Cannon and a stereotype-busting look at one of the most frequently derided of scholastic extracurricular activities: the marching band. Drumline offers little that's surprising or groundbreaking, but, because the script is smart enough not to insult us and to develop a group of interesting characters, the act of watching the film is an entertaining experience rather than a tedious exercise...The soundtrack for Drumline -- undoubtedly one of the film's selling points -- is cross-generational, with the band playing more than just traditional marching tunes...Director Charles Stone never strays too far from the familiar, but there are nice little twists that keep the production fresh...Coming in the midst of so many high-profile, end-of-the-year motion picture, Drumline is a pleasant, and very welcome, surprise. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
"Drumline," directed by Charles Stone, and written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps, is entertaining for what it does, and admirable for what it doesn't do. It gets us involved in band politics and strategy, gives us a lot of entertaining halftime music, and provides a portrait of a gifted young man who slowly learns to discipline himself and think of others. That's what it does...The love story between Devon and Laila is sweet and remarkably innocent, for a contemporary movie. They share one tender kiss, although the eagle-eyed MPAA rates the film PG-13 for "innuendo." Oh, I forgot: The MPAA also singles out "language," although this is one of the cleanest-talking urban movies in history. If this isn't a PG film in today's world, what is? It is also, in a very sincere way, touching. It pays attention to its characters, gives them weight and reality, doesn't underline the morals but certainly has them. "Drumline" joins titles like "love jones," "Soul Food," "Barbershop" and "Antwone Fisher" in the slowly growing list of movies about everyday African-American lives. What a good-hearted film. - Roger Ebert
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