DANCE DRAMA; 1hr 38min
STARRING: Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman
Double act: Hoffman and Evigan
It doesn’t exactly reek of originality — think romance plus redemption, dance school–style. But that’s no problem with moves as sharp and flash as they are in this sequel to 2006’s Step Up. And the moves just keep on coming, when tearaway Andie (Evigan) scores a last-chance-café place in Baltimore’s prestigious Maryland School of the Arts.
Being the gritty sort, Andie forms a crew with fellow hot-shot MSA misfits, with the plan of blowing away street-dancing comps. Of course, it’s no cakewalk. Of course, they’re a force to be reckoned with all the same. And of course, Andie and the most popular guy in school (Hoffman) are destined to head down Relationship Road.
Barring a few serious bumps en route (for what use is a happy landing without a rocky ride?), that’s about the size of it. Forget deep themes and sneaky plot twists: that sort of fancy footwork is strictly for the routines.
