User Reviews

We watched this movie. We got Served.

There were some obvious parallels with Top Gun, right down to the rampant homosexual subtexts but with much less volleyball. The OC crew serves as the Russians (obviously) and the dance moves as the MiGs. Maverick (David) and Iceman (El) are friends that become bitterly divided. Maverick dates up Kelly McGillis (played by El's sister, which I don't remember from Top Gun at all!). Tom Skerritt's character is a flamboyant dance club MC with full Office Space flair known as "Mr. Rad": you can't make stuff like that up.

Our squadron meets up with some serious hardship as Goose, a little kid known as "lil Saint" dies not in a flat spin but a drive-by. Not only that but El is beaten up and in trouble with the mob -- much like Iceman being in trouble with the MiGs. Luckily a dance contest comes out of nowhere and Maverick tells Iceman "You can be my wingman, anytime." Lil Kim, contest judge, takes our breath away and the OC Russians take the highway straight into the Danger Zone.

Elgin and David are best friends and the leaders of the best dance crew in the area. Their dominance is threatened when a crew from another area challenges them to a battle for the stake of $5k – a challenge that they accept. However when the crew are betrayed by one of their own and the challengers simply steal all their moves before they can perform, the bet is lost. David and Elgin suffer further strife when David lets Elgin down when it comes to business – putting them in debt to the local gangster. They are forced to put their differences behind them as a major dance competition is put on that offers them the prestige and money to get out of their situations.

Having a close friend with a black teenage daughter I have a vague knowledge of bands like IMX and B2K; and I know who manages them as well – none other than Chris Stokes, writer and director of this promotional video. I say promotional video because this is not a film, not in anything but the most basic use of the word. The plot is a very obvious series of dance battles backed up by some very simple plotting that almost totally fails to engage. What the film does do though is deliver some very good dance scenes which are enjoyable so long as you like that sort of thing. For me the atmosphere, skill and music involved in these scenes almost made it worth seeing – almost.

Sadly the bits between the dance moves are just awful. The basic story is not the biggest problem, it is the manner that it is delivered. Stokes' script is nothing but a collection of black clichés all speaking in heavy ebonics. I will give you the fact that some people do talk like this but here it just lazy writing – rather than writing characters he simply creates clichés to make the audience accept them. Having a black ex-wife I have seen a fair collection of 'black' movies from America and happily not all of them are as lazy as this but far too many simply trade in these street-talking, thug-loving clichés. Last week in The Times was an article about black exploitation films from the 70's get re-releases, I do not think that they need a release because these exploitation films have just been replaced by the modern black comedy. I'm sure I'll be shouted down for this but when I see something that stereotypes race I must call it – whether it is a film that is deliberately racist or lazy. Given the all black cast then I cannot call this racist but it is certainly lazy and simplistic. As director Stokes also shows himself to be totally lacking in his own imagination – witness the jump-zoom technique that he overuses, that's been done everywhere and it's a sad indictment of his vision that it seems to be the only trick in his bag.

With only clichés and 'thug attitude' to work with it is no surprise that the performances are bad – a fact not helped by the cast is populated by people who seem unable to deliver any dialogue with any degree of natural sense. I wish I was so naïve that I thought that the presence of Omarion, Houston and Lil' Fizz was down to their talent rather than Stokes' involvement in the film. Omarion is one big black cliché and he seems to think that making a charming character involves just flashing a smile and saying 'y'know' lots. Houston avoids the clichés a bit better but only has two modes – one mode is him brooding around like someone just stole his last forty and the other mode is clichéd street-smart mode. Suffice to say, neither can act. You know you're in the sh*t when it comes to your cast when Steve Harley is your big name guest star – a fact that highlights the film's values. The rest of the cast are just like the support cast of any music video – pretty boys and girls. I'm not complaining because I thought Freeman was cute and minor appearance from music video regulars McCall and Rodrigues were hot. Likewise I'm sure teenage girls will go mad for the buff male cast too – but lets not call them actors just because they are reading lines off cards.

Overall this film is worth seeing if you like the 'clowning' type of dancing that this film trades on or if you like hip hop (the cynical side of me thinks that the 30 second snippets of songs is designed to sell the soundtrack), however this is not a film in any way, shape or form. The story is rubbish and if you can't see how it is going to end after 15 minutes then you are a muppet. The script creates clichés rather than characters and relies on staples of black movies to get by (shootings, dealing, b*tches and basketball) and uses lazy ebonics in place of dialogue.

The casting is simply self-promotion of Stokes' boy bands and none (and I mean none) of the cast actually act here – some of the delivery was amazingly bad. However, for the dancing and hip hop I consider it worth watching (even if it is only really a long music promo), but if you don't like this type of music then you will find this to be one of the most vacuous 90 minutes of your life.

Sometimes, you can say "That movie was so bad it was funny." When you say that about You Got Served, you really mean it. This movie had me laughing beginning to end, and just when you think it can't get any more ridiculous, it does. The movie starts with a 1-2 punch of stupidity. Everyone is at a crowded warehouse with a boxing ring. But they're not fighting; they're dancing. And they're serious. If that isn't funny enough, it is followed by "the kitchen scene." Ben Stiller wishes he could have dialogue this awkward. I was in pieces by this point. But as the plot thickens, it only gets better. We meet Lil' Saint, who is about 8 years old and probably curses more than anybody else in the movie. And then dies in a drive-by? I don't think I've ever laughed harder at a child's death than when I heard, "Lil' Saint got shot! He was ridin' with Lanky and Bug, and some dude sprayed the car!" We get a glimpse of the hard-knock (aka middle class) life that forces L and D to move drugs just so their family can buy them a new outfit every day. After they get served by the upper-middle class OC kids and D leaves L hangin' so he can mac it with L's sister, they learn that their new crews can win $50,000 if they serve every other crew in LA. (See, 50 G's split among 10 crew members is enough to change their lives.) Which leaves them with one obvious thing to do: the Rocky montage. And keep in mind: THEY ARE SERIOUS. On the Big Day, the dance-off ends in a tie between L's crew and the OC crew, so Lil' Kim lets them settle it the way she likes it: "straight hood." The movie climaxes with the chant of "Served, Served, Served" and I have nearly pi$$ed my pants laughing. I recommend that everybody download You Got Served. You will be quoting it for weeks. The only question I have is how they ever got Steve Harvey to do this movie.

I think a lot of the people who commented on this movie before me were way too harsh. This is a teenage dance movie. If your not a teenager or into dance your not gonna get into it. Granted SOME of the script wasn't that great but I thought the basic heart of the story was good. I really don't get why all you people go out of your way to pick a movie apart. This is not some boring life affirming drama,this movie is for fun! So take it like that enjoy the fairy tale where everything works out and get a life.

Another thing,you have got to be kidding me with all the comments about bad acting,they were not that bad! The only time I found them bad was when the script made them say stupid crap. Oh and about them acting all "thug" like,are you serious?! Do you people even know any teenagers? ANY? Black white whatever? That is how they talk! Its not exaggerated!

The only person who is "served" by this film, is the person watching it. That's right... you get served a steaming pile of bad movie. Let me go on the record by explicitly stating: Chris Stokes is an absolutely appalling writer. Just the fact that he thought his horrific script was worth turning into movie, strongly suggests to me that Mr. Stokes is suffering from some sort of mental deficiency. Seek medical attention ASAP.

To be honest, I rented this movie because it's enjoying the dubious pleasure of languishing at #1 on IMDB's Bottom 100. My goal in life, as it were, is to watch all of the Bottom 100 movies. While this movie is certainly feculent, it still can't touch the majesty & power of such classics as Troll II, Eeegah, The Blade Master, Manos: Hands of Fate, Deathstalker III, etc, etc. It comes close, but I wouldn't rate this movie any worse than 75th on the Bottom 100.

Let's detail some weak points of the script, shall we?

(* spoilers * -- as if it's possible to spoil this movie)

* The two main characters (David & Elgin) are "forced" into selling some sort of contraband to make ends meet. This is strange since they both enjoy the luxury of living in upper middle class homes, with, what appears to be, a good family environment. Ostensibly they have more than enough time to, you know, get a job -- since all they do, all day, is play basketball, talk on cell phones, and dance.

* Mr. Stokes really enjoys introducing plot lines and then summarily ignoring them. What about the girl trying to get into Princeton? What about the dancer who switches crews? Whatever happened to him?

* Lil' Kim, near the "climax" of this donkey-show, informs the two competing crews that they're going to have a "dance off" for the right to appear in her next video. There's one little twist: this particular dance engagement is going to feature "no rules" -- it's going to be "straight street". My buddies and I found the "no rules" dancing to be eerily similar (if not exactly identical) to the "rules" dancing. What, exactly, are you allowed to do in a "no rules" dance competition, that you can't in a "rules" competition?

* The dancers depicted in this movie display a remarkable ability to engage in choreographed routines w/o prior rehearsal or practice. Pretty cool, eh?

* Mr. Rad (Steve Harvey) hires an off-duty policeman to protect the participants of his nightly "dance battles". I wonder what the policeman thought of all the illegal gambling going on? Mr. Stokes, sagely, decides to ignore this problem.

I'll stop here. Basically, the only person who would/could enjoy this movie is a teenager, with a sub-human IQ, who watches 8+ hours of MTV a day. Admittedly, some of the dance sequences are fun to watch, but you see pretty much everything you're going to see (dancing wise) within the first 10 or 15 minutes of the movie.

Bad movie score: 6/10 Good movie score: 2/10.

Work of genius.

This is one of those movies that make you reconsider your life, and whether it's worth living after all. It's on par with such greats as Casablanca and Slapshots II. It makes Laurence of Arabia look like an epic in comparison. It transcends culture.

The director should be immediately knighted and sainted simultaneously. I think it really needs to be considered holistically, by which I mean it is holy. Sweet Jesus. I don't know where to go from here, so I'll stay here, and you go watch the film. I know I will. Here.

Not enough nudity.

"Wait, you don't mean Richard Wagner, I hope!?" The guy who wrote Tannhauser, Lohengrin, and Ring Cycle (Rheingold, Valkyrie, some forgettable romp after Valkyrie, and Gotterdammerung)? Yes, sorry, but I do mean THAT Richard Wagner. What would he think of films today? He never lived to see the medium rise to its full glory; but by today's cinematic standards, if he wanted to do one, what could stop him? Imagine him writing scripts, composing film scores, and perhaps producing and directing. With his lofty imagination and desire to fuse drama and music with meaningful tact, his films would be unparalleled!

"But Wagner has nothing to do with this tawdry excuse of a 'movie'! What's the point?" Well, while watching this, I remembered recently reading a short parody of The Valkyrie that attempts to summarize the opera's complex story. It was quite funny, but if I didn't know the opera's music and lacked firsthand knowledge of plot points, the humor would have been lost. This "movie" felt much like a short, watered-down, and generally hilarious parody of an otherwise memorable opera. The only problem is that You Got Served is not based on a memorable opera... or anything else! It is very much its own film, and yet the film has this urgent need to feel complete.

Chris Stokes, a band-manager-turned-filmmaker as is the current zeitgeist, writes and directs this laughable exercise in movie-making. I bet he comes from the music video tradition, since the "movie" exploits fast cuts, faster girls, jarring edits (EDIT: The editing in this film was atrocious!), and loud music, all for the sake of promoting a musical act. I hope this experience teaches him that films and music videos do not equate. Films are longer and require much more care.

He didn't think his screenplay through. Its numerous faults include blatant stereotypes, poor exposition (more than once did I see the need for several scenes to be condensed; plot holes were abundant), repetition (Stokes greatly wants to remind us that our protagonists owe money), deus ex machina (Grandma has some backup cash; forgettable friend learns about a major dance contest; "Mr. Rad" getting our "heroes" out of a fine mess with some gang), trite dialog (I could swear that, at one point, it looked as though Steve Harvey badly wanted to say a comeback to some comment made to him, but NOOOOO! The script apparently had other plans!), the sacrificial lamb (in the form of "Lil' Saint". Telling.), and the obligatory "romance" (the film's two resident lovebirds are no Tristan and Isolde, let me tell 'ya).

Nor did he think his casting through. Musical acts don't necessarily make actors. (Mariah Carey paid dearly for not understanding this.) Not one the young "actors" in this film showed any conviction in their roles. The film exemplifies two types of bad acting: One coming from good actors muddled in bad roles (Harvey and a few of the token adults fit this) and another coming from bad actors relishing in awful roles (which this film has in spades).

Boy, did I get served! This is required viewing if you want to learn how NOT to make a film. Wagner would be ashamed of such a hackneyed fusion of "music" and "drama." If he was alive to see this... thing, he would never stop vomiting. Honestly, his oral discharges would be far more entertaining than this act of cinematic terrorism.

You Got Served (2004) has some of the best dancing sequences ever choreographed. They are so energetic, with the rap music pumping in the background. The problem is the film needs a better screenplay.

The movie tells the story of two friends, Elgin and David (Marques Houston, and Omarion), who are leaders of the best dance crew in street dancing. They battle other dancers for both money and respect. But another popular group of dancers defeats them in one round after a member betrays them, and joins the other gang, although it is not clearly explained why. And Elgin and David's friendship is put to the test, when David begins dating Elgin's sister, Liyah (Jennifer Freeman).

There is even a subplot about a younger dance member, who gets an early grave, though I felt he, nor his death added nothing new to the story, except to inspire the heroes to name their group after the kid's street name.

Writer/Director Christopher B. Stokes simply cannot write, nor direct. I doubt this film even had a screenplay. Stokes relies on clichés to keep the film at a full movie length. There's the obligatory white rapper wannabes being considered as the enemies, and there's the overprotective brother who looks after his sister.

"You Got Served" is not the worst movie of the year, but it will make my personal bottom list of 2004. Forget the dialogue, forget the plot, and just enjoy the energetic dancing. Or better yet, don't waste your time with this one.

possible spoilers

this movie left me with lot of questions.

where are everyone's parents? why is steve harvey the only father figure? what is jakee doing in a movie? the house looked better than mine, as did the cell phones, clothes and shoes - why do those kids need money? how does that one guy have a car if he has no money? what are they "delivering"? newspapers? are these kids in high school? do they have jobs? why are most of the white people evil? why, in a movie who's central premise is dancing, is most of the dancing so boring? what's with the plot holes? what's up with the cheesy as hell montages? lil saint is alive one day and dead the next - where did everyone get their "lil saint" gear? is there a lil saint store? why is lil kim in a movie intended for anyone under 18? did it occur to anyone that reciting lines in front of a camera is not acting?

oh the cliches - to numerous to count. i'm beginning to think there really is a cliche handbook.

i gave this movie a 2. only because as bad as it was, it was still better than matrix revolutions.