Drumline (2002)

A band director recruits a Harlem street drummer to play at a Southern university.

Director:

Charles Stone III

Writers:

Shawn Schepps (story), Tina Gordon (screenplay) (as Tina Gordon Chism)

Stars:

Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Orlando Jones

13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nick Cannon	...	Devon Miles
Zoe Saldana	...	Laila (as Zoë Saldana)
Orlando Jones	...	Dr. Lee
Leonard Roberts	...	Sean Taylor
GQ	...	Jayson
Jason Weaver	...	Ernest
Earl Poitier	...	Charles (as Earl C. Poitier)
Candace Carey	...	Diedre
Shay Roundtree	...	Big Rob
Miguel A. Gaetan	...	Trey
J. Anthony Brown	...	Mr. Wade
Afemo Omilami	...	President Wagner
Angela Elayne Gibbs	...	Dorothy Miles (as Angela E. Gibbs)
Tyreese Burnett	...	Henry
Brandon Hirsch	...	Buck Wild

Storyline

A fish-out-of-water comedy about a talented street drummer from Harlem who enrolls in a Southern university, expecting to lead its marching band's drumline to victory. He initially flounders in his new world, before realizing that it takes more than talent to reach the top.

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Plot Keywords:

drummer | university | drumline | fish out of water | marching band | 

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Taglines:

Half time is game time

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for innuendo and language

Details

Official Sites:

Fox

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dobszóló

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,604,705, 15 December 2002, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$56,398,162, 27 April 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, Wendy Finerman Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Da Brat was considered for the role of Diedre.

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Goofs

When Jayson is being challenged, he finishes with his mallets in the middle of the drum head. In the next shot, the mallets are at the top of the drum.

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Quotes

Sean: Dr. Lee... Dr. Lee, just wanted to catch you before rehearsals. I was thinking, that instead of promoting a P2 to replace Devon, we could just keep the snare line at nine.
Dr. Lee: And how long have you been thinking that?
Sean: Just this morning.
Dr. Lee: Are you sure?
[Sean nods his head yes]
Dr. Lee: I thought maybe it was the day you showed us all he couldn't read, or was it the night that he took your solo, I don't know. But since you heard him play, you decided that the line or perhaps maybe, just you, would be better off...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits include illustrations of the proper way to play the drum.

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Connections

References The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986)

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Soundtracks

Halo
Written by Deodrick Jackson
Performed by Morris Brown Drumline

User Reviews

A pleasant surprise!

I'm not a musician and know little about marching bands. However, this movie captivated my attention. The athleticism of these musical marchers was something I had never thought about until watching this excellent movie. The music is wonderful and the drumline competition puts the dueling banjos of yesterday to shame. The story line delivers a good message of how raw talent can be molded into disciplined success. The concept of teamwork and individual goals are blended into a believable and inspiring movie. I found the acting to be very good and will look for the cast in future movies. Nick Cannon and Orlando Jones never leave any doubt about the characters they are playing.