Stomp the Yard (2007)
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26% of critics liked it
(89 reviews) -
83% of users liked it
(446,320 ratings)
A young man finds that the moves he learned on the street may help him make a better life for himself in this youth-oriented musical drama. DJ Williams (Columbus Short) is a 19-year-old growing up in Los Angeles; while DJ is at heart a good kid and a gifted street dancer, he runs with a dangerous… More A young man finds that the moves he learned on the street may help him make a better life for himself in this youth-oriented musical drama. DJ Williams (Columbus Short) is a 19-year-old growing up in Los Angeles; while DJ is at heart a good kid and a gifted street dancer, he runs with a dangerous crowd, and one night an underground dance competition turns into a brawl and DJ ends up in jail. DJ's younger brother has already died a violent death, and his mother, hoping to put him back on the straight and narrow, sends DJ off to Truth University, a historically African-American college in Atlanta. At first, DJ feels like a misfit at Truth, but when he gets a chance to show off his dancing skills, he attracts the attention of two campus fraternities. Greek life is a major presence at Truth, and each year the fraternities take part in a "stepping" competition, in which the members show off their synchronized dance moves. DJ joins the ONO house, and is eager to help them take the championship away from their campus rivals, but in time he also comes to understand the brotherhood and community service that's a key part of his fraternity's background. DJ also has more on his mind than dancing and studying when he meets April (Meagan Good), a beautiful coed. Produced under the title Steppin', Stomp the Yard also stars Ne-Yo, Brian J. White, and Jermaine Williams. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Sylvain White
- Written By
- Robert Adetuyi, Gregory Anderson
- Genres
- Drama
PG-13,
- In Theaters
- Jan 12, 2007 Wide
- Studio
- Screen Gems
Critic Reviews
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David Jenkins, Time Out
There's little here for British eyes.
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Melissa Anderson, Time Out New York
Benign nonsense.
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Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
The moves can be remarkable, though ritually repetitive -- male chorus lines of adrenalized automata acting out anger, menace, pride, audacity or joy.
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Rachel Saltz, New York Times
Stomp the Yard is a strange and at times strangely compelling mix of black fraternity recruitment video and inspirational tale about a hip-hop boy in a stepping world.
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Susan Walker, Toronto Star
Perhaps director Sylvain White hoped that this laughably melodramatic film might find its way into the pantheon of urban dance films. But seen against such films as Rize and You Got Served, it's a step in the wrong direction.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Columbus Short
as DJ Williams
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Meagan Good
as April
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Ne-Yo
as Rich Brown
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Darrin Dewitt Henson
as Grant
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Brian J. White
as Sylvester
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Laz Alonso
as Zeke
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Valarie Pettiford
as Aunt Jackie
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Jermaine Williams
as Noel
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Allan Louis
as Dr. Palmer
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Harry J. Lennix
as Uncle Nate
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Chris Brown
as Duron
- Angela Bassett
- Courtney B. Vance
- Megan Good
- Daisy Jade
