DVD Review: How She Move
From Paramount Home Entertainment
How She Move
In How She Move, young Raya (Rutina Wesley) has her life turned upside down when she has to leave her private school and go home to a rough Toronto neighborhood when her parents can't afford the school any longer. Raya's former friends, especially Michelle (Tre Armstrong) think she's a snob for leaving the projects and going to a posh school.
With her childhood homies ready to go down a path of drugs and destruction, Raya tries to get a scholarship back to her old school but, with horrible family tragedy and emotional upset against her, she blows the test. Raya decides to enter a step-dancing contest with big prize money to make her dreams come true. After a lot of drama between dance crews and old and new friends, she succeeds.
Video/Audio: This film wasn't high budget so the colors are a little more "faint" than some but the widescreen presentation is pretty clean and crisp. All the noise, funk and foot-stomping of the step-dancing action comes through in an exciting audio mix and shares all your speakers. Dialogue is separated clearly. No problems.
Special Features: "The Characters of 'How She Move" lets us meet the talented young actors in the film. Fun and charming. You also learn more about the backstories of each character. Nice feature.
From Rehearsal to Film" blew me away with all the amazing and tough rehearsals the cast had to undergo. With Hi Hat as the choreographer, these young actor/dancers worked their butts off, often ending up in an exhausted puddle. Very real and a nice inside look at what it really takes to make those moves on screen look easy.
"Telling Her Story" traces the film's origins from an early intent to make it a documentary then a low budget production. This featurette is very real and not the usual "selling" press kit junk. You learn the tough challenges of production and why step-dancing was chosen, its dance history, etc. We also see how the filmmakers wanted this to be a more character-driven piece than the usual teen dance flick.
Wrapping Up: How She Move has a ton of energy and you will identify with and root for the characters to succeed. The dance moves are awesome and you'll enjoy the story; the heartbreak and journey to victory in a cool dance-off. This more low-budge film might just be the best and most moving of all the recent teen-aimed dance flicks. The DVD looks fine and the special features are more "real" and interesting than most. Definitely rent or buy if this type of film makes you want to get up and bust a move!
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Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
