Step Up 2 the Streets (2008)

28% of critics liked it
(58 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(168,464 ratings)

Director Jon M. Chu takes the helm for this Step Up sequel set at the Maryland School for the Arts and following the journey of a rebellious street dancer who struggles to fit in at the prestigious school. Andie (Briana Evigan) may show great promise as a dancer, but she just can't seem to let go of… More Director Jon M. Chu takes the helm for this Step Up sequel set at the Maryland School for the Arts and following the journey of a rebellious street dancer who struggles to fit in at the prestigious school. Andie (Briana Evigan) may show great promise as a dancer, but she just can't seem to let go of her old life and get a fresh start. With Baltimore's hottest underground dance contest looming on the horizon, Andie joins forces with top dancer Chase (Robert Hoffman) while simultaneously helping to sharpen the skills of her outcast classmates. Perhaps if Andie, Chase, and their talented team of misfit dancers can earn the top slot at The Streets, the troubled new arrival can finally make her dreams a reality while also letting go of the past, and bounding confidently forward into the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 37 min.
Directed By: Jon M. Chu
Written By: Toni Ann Johnson, Karen Barna
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Feb 14, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Jul 15, 2008
Studio: Touchstone Pictures

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
I can't quite recommend it, but... for a certain demographic why not.
Amos Barshad, New York Magazine
Promises to hit all the urban-dance hallmarks with sledgehammer intensity.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
Only any good when people are dancing.
Kyle Smith, New York Post
For all of its ragin' dance moves and rebellious talk, is high-spirited and harmless. An MC at one dance contest declares, "This ain't 'High School Musical'!" Oh, but it is.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Let's wait for a movie where they do get it all right: story, acting and dancing. It'll happen, just not this time.
Nell Minow, Chicago Sun-Times
The story may be old, but these kids act -- and dance -- as though they are telling it for the first time.
Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
To say this film (and any other dancing competition film) is formulaic is an understatement. However, formalism is entirely forgivable when you look at the marketplace.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...a minor improvement over its almost unwatchable predecessor...
Austin Kennedy, Sin Magazine
This isn't a very good movie, but it's probably the best of it's kind.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
When the dancers are on, so is the movie. But then, unfortunately, there's the rest of it.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
A dance romance with attitude that will fall short if you're expecting fulfillment in the story department.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
No disrespect to Channing Tatum, who does one better than J.T. by bringing both sexy and baggy back, but pencil-thin dweeb Adam G. Sevani is the star of this nonstop dance-a-thon.
Jim Schembri, Sydney Morning Herald
Standard, well-made, urban dance movie.
Laura Bushell, BBC
Will dance triumph over adversity? Will love between two attractive vacuous actors conquer all?
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
It's not a little obvious that the Step Up franchise means to keep a Disneyfied hand in the apparently inexorable dance movie cycle.
Anna Smith, Empire Magazine
It suffers from a real lack of charisma, still the dance bits are good.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
With a script cut-and-pasted from every other dance movie, this film is shockingly corny.
Anna Smith, Empire Magazine Australasia
It suffers from a real lack of charisma, still the dance bits are good.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
A robust addition to the street dance sub genre of movies, Step Up 2 The Streets offers plenty of exhilarating routines and a feasible storyline
Christopher Smith, Bangor Daily News (Maine)
All of this feverish bending, twirling, twisting and snapping of the body is so infused with attitude, in fact, that it allows the film and its characters to live and breathe in ways that run counter to the movie's otherwise rhythmless script.

Read all 22 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Eric A

More like a step down from the first. Not to say this was a bad film, but it just lacked the substance and character of the first.
Bethany M

I love all of the Step Ups although this is my least favourite out of all of them. Still a very good film though! I like Robert Hoffman.
KJ P

I enjoyed this 100 times more than the first film! The dance moves are jaw dropping, the drama is actually interesting this time around, and the characters are much more likable! I enjoyed Step Up 2: the streets very much!
Spencer S

Better than the original, with more of a relaistic view of the so-called "streets".
Richard C

really bad and boring until the last 20-30 minutes where all the really amazing dancing was in the competition and it was awesome and overall the movie was okay not bad but not great. C+
Sophie B

The narrative was incredibly predictable and unoriginal. The acting was ok - dodgy in some parts. I did, however, enjoy some of the dance moves. Some of them were really bad and cheesy and quite uncomfortable to watch but a small percentage were actually quite good.
Aaron N

Chase Collins: They just hatin' on you cause you dope. Finally, almost two years later, Step Up 2 finally made it to the top of my Netflix que. The hilarity that me and my former roommate experienced from the trailer alone was about to be expanded upon. I managed to find a… More
Chase Collins: They just hatin' on you cause you dope. Finally, almost two years later, Step Up 2 finally made it to the top of my Netflix que. The hilarity that me and my former roommate experienced from the trailer alone was about to be expanded upon. I managed to find a joke audio commentary from one of the podcasts I listen to, so I watched this film, with my Ipod synched up with the commentary. All this being said, myself, along with the guys joking around on the commentary actually agree that there are redeeming qualities to be found in this film. Despite having a clichéd and poorly acted story, the main element of the film works - The Dancing. Scenes are choreographed well, with long, wide shots, opposed to fancy cutting and incomprehensible editing. It showcases the talents of the performers fairly well. Add to that a pretty decent hip-hop dance soundtrack and a lot of eye candy scattered throughout, and this is certainly a film that I wouldn't have minded too terribly if I were dragged to it on a date, without the comfort of a jokey audio commentary. Moose: Yeah, we're her crew! We're getting ready to battle at the streets. Felicia: What street? Sesame Street?
Nani V

A little cheesy, but fun to watch all the dance moves.
Film C

i enjoyed the first one and this one didnt disappoint it is predictable in places but it is good sweet and the dance moves rock!
Alexander W

Just watched this the other day, i would watch this again no doubt. Everything fits together really well as a film should be. Its magic, entertaining, really good !
Derek A

Not impressed.... If you think for one minute that I chose to watch this crap on my own accord then I will punch you square in the jaw. I went to a lady friend's house to chill and have some drinks... I get there and this crap was on. I should've just left.... The only… More
Not impressed.... If you think for one minute that I chose to watch this crap on my own accord then I will punch you square in the jaw. I went to a lady friend's house to chill and have some drinks... I get there and this crap was on. I should've just left.... The only message I got from this movie is the reassurance that black people have rhythm.
Sanjaya &

Definitely more cool than the first one!! The dance thing showed in this movie were absolutely brilliant... Really loves it... Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman made a pretty good combination for the dance here, just see how they move not how the act... Since the beginning of the… More
Definitely more cool than the first one!! The dance thing showed in this movie were absolutely brilliant... Really loves it... Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman made a pretty good combination for the dance here, just see how they move not how the act... Since the beginning of the movie, this movie already amazed me... The dance in the train, then battle between Channing Tatum and Briana Evigan, until the last performance in the middle of the rain, it just really really amazed me a lot... I wonder how they could dance like that and the idea to dance under the rain were absolutely brilliant... The music here really cool... It's all makes you want to shake your body... And the sound mixing and sound editing were great I think for a movie like this... The dance rhythm and the music were blend perfectly so it is enjoyable to watch... A great dance movie, really great... Can't wait to see the third movie...
Mason W

The dancing is good and not a bad sequel...music is good as well...they needed to have more of the original cast in it as well....but not bad.
Roy G

...a Flashdance wannabe...
Dean M

This sequel dance movie is fun and fantastic featuring good chemistry between its fresh new stars and amazing dance sequences.
Morgan S

this is a case where the 2nd is better than the 1st
Martin B

So humiliating... File this one under my "embarrassing guilty pleasures." The plot is as cliche as they get, and some of the dialogue is just awful, but what can I say? I'm a sucker for dance movies.
Rachel F

The dance scenes in this movie were fantastic, especially the final scene. It was also pretty funny.
Manu G

Great Movie!!! I just love the moves, the girl, the story , just a great all-around movie!!! When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with… More
Great Movie!!! I just love the moves, the girl, the story , just a great all-around movie!!! When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the school's hottest dancer Chase to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore's underground dance battle, The Streets, she ultimately finds a way to live her dream while building a bridge between her two separate worlds.
Lorenzo v

I don't know why anyone would see this movie for the acting or story. Both were destined to be clichéd beyond cliché. The dialogue is straight out of a middle-aged white man's dictionary of ebonics from 1995. However, one goes to see these movies for the dancing, and this… More
I don't know why anyone would see this movie for the acting or story. Both were destined to be clichéd beyond cliché. The dialogue is straight out of a middle-aged white man's dictionary of ebonics from 1995. However, one goes to see these movies for the dancing, and this movie delivers amazing dance performances. It deserved a 3 because of that, in my mind. You don't go to a romantic hip-hop dancing movie to be wowed by amazing depth of acting, dialogue, cinematography, or visual effects. It is a great popcorn flick for people like me, who have always been amazed at how people can move their bodies like 'that'.