Light It Up (1999)

38% of critics liked it
(48 reviews)
75% of users liked it
(6,540 ratings)

Noted R&B artist and producer Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds served as executive producer for this tough urban drama. After a shooting incident in a neglected inner-city school leaves a police officer wounded, a group of students holds the cop hostage, in a desperate effort to force improvements to… More Noted R&B artist and producer Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds served as executive producer for this tough urban drama. After a shooting incident in a neglected inner-city school leaves a police officer wounded, a group of students holds the cop hostage, in a desperate effort to force improvements to their school. The cast includes another R&B hitmaker, Usher, as well as Forest Whitaker, Vanessa L. Williams, and Rosario Dawson. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 39 min.
Directed By: Craig Bolotin
Written By: Craig Bolotin
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 1, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Mar 6, 2001
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Vanessa Williams adds marquee value as a police negotiator.
Jeff Millar, Houston Chronicle
Strong acting, tense plot.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Painfully obvious and cliched.
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Snuff it out!
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...isn't so much a bad movie as an unfinished movie
Clint Morris, Moviehole
"The Breakfast Club" in the Ghetto
Nick Carter, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It begins as a high school comedy romp and then abruptly turns into a TV cop show-caliber thriller.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
Too often writer/directors such as Light It Up's Craig Bolotin don't take the time to create a plausible plot and realistic dialog.