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

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Leonard Roberts, who plays Sean, was actually very sick when the last scenes of the "BET southern classic" were filmed, which is why he is so sweaty and looks slightly weak at the end of the film.

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Goofs

During the scene with Ernest stuffing his face in a hurry, the amount of soda in his cup and the direction of the straw shifts between shots.

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Quotes

Dr. Lee: What was that? Why do we rehearse? Why... do we rehearse? You're out there showboating for five minutes. If I wasn't able to signal a drum major to back you up, you'd still be out there beating your damn drum!
Sean: Dr. Lee, sir, maybe there's an explanation. Devon...
Dr. Lee: Do I look like I need you to explain anything right now?
Sean: No, sir.
Dr. Lee: I don't know what the beef is, but you better grill it up and eat it. Because it is my a** that is on the line.
President Wagner: Now that is a new beginning. That's exactly what I'm ...
[...]

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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

X-Factor
Written by Jahleel Eli
Performed by Morris Brown Drumline

User Reviews

Nickelodeon didn't ruin Nick Cannon

Drumline is a great movie for anybody to see. I especially like it because I am a "band nerd" but that's ok. I would like it anyway; it has it's funny parts, it's serious parts, and I am still wondering how they found so many awesome drummers, (and other musicians for that matter!)

Because of this movie, I now have some respect for Nick Cannon as an actor. I'm glad he finally starred in a great movie for all ages, and is no longer confined to piece of crap kids sketch comedy shows on Nickelodeon, [which, by the way, SUCKS as of late (i.e. My life as a teenage robot, slimetime, ginger)]

Overall, great movie, great job by Nick Cannon.