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:

bare midriff | drummer | university | drumline | fish out of water | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fraternity featured throughout the film is Kappa Kappa Psi, the national honorary band fraternity. The actual Kappa Kappa Psi flag, colors, and symbols, and customary shouts and chants are used in the film. Symbols and letters for their sister organization, Tau Beta Sigma, the national honorary band sorority, can also be seen throughout the film.

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Goofs

When Jayson is challenge the first time, Sean silences the drumline and puts his sticks behind his back. But in the next view, he has his sticks in front of him, like the rest of the line.

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Quotes

Dr. Lee: We're gonna try something a little different this year. A little of my old school... with a little of your new. Honoring the past, and present at the same time. That's what our new direction is all about... bridging the gap. Our new piece for the B.E.T. Big Southern Classic... was arranged by two of your very own...
[looks at Devon and Sean]
Dr. Lee: Mr. Devon Miles, and Mr. Sean Taylor.
[band cheers]
Dr. Lee: This piece is very complicated, and is not half as complicated as the formations are gonna be. We don't ...

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Crazy Credits

During the beginning of the ending credits, there are performances from Atlanta A&T as well as Morris Brown College that weren't shown in the original movie.

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Connections

Featured in 2003 MTV Video Music Awards (2003)

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Soundtracks

Uh Oh
Written by Dallas Austin and Kandi
Produced by Dallas Austin
Performed by Monica
Monica appears courtesy of J Records

User Reviews

Good, Clean Fun

I'm not one of those people who moans and groans that "movies today are so full of trashy language" (or sex or violence or whatever), and that there's not enough "wholesome" (that word gives me a pain) entertainment for the family. For all those who do (and even those who don't), here's an energetic film that manages to entertain while eschewing content that could conceivably offend anyone (unless they find even the tiniest amount of innocuous, lightweight hip-hop too much to take).

The thematic ground here - young hotshot learns to sacrifice for the good of the team; underdogs strive for triumph - has been covered countless times before, so DRUMLINE wisely boils the plot down to its barest elements, for the most part sidestepping the obligatory contrived obstacles and setbacks, and plays to its strength: the music.

This is a story about college marching bands, focusing in particular on the members of the percussion section, and a good 50% - if not more - of the film concentrates on the lively and elaborate performances of the bands, which are complimented by equally lively cinematography and editing.

No, it's not deep and, yes, it's old fashioned. In, fact, it doesn't take a lot of imagination to see Mickey and Judy in the roles of Devon and Laila (though probably with different names!). I mean, these are the cleanest livin' kids you'll see in any recent picture! But it's solid and it all works. Oh, and don't be scared off by the idea of so much college marching band music. Not being a football fan, my exposure to such things is limited to the Rose Parade, and I don't have a clue as to what state-of-the-art is for halftime entertainment these days, but, for what it's worth, this is the best college marching band stuff I've ever seen, and I wasn't bored for a minute.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drumline

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,604,705, 15 December 2002

Gross USA:

$56,399,184

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$57,588,485

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