All of TVGuide.com Videos Only

You Got Served

2004, Movie, PG-13, 93 mins

You Got Served: Review

Released as the members of R&B group B2K announced their dissolution over internal issues, this film offers fans the opportunity to see Omari "Omarion" Grandberry, Jarell "J-Boog" Houston, DeMario "Raz-B" Thornton and Dreux "Lil' Fixx" Frederic together. Anyone who's never heard of B2K or hip-hop choreographer Wade Robson, or who generally harbors a strong aversion to films with lots of dancing, little plot and a very loud soundtrack might want to stay far away. The title notwithstanding, this film has nothing to do with issuing legal documents or waitressing; the term "getting served" is slang description for suffering a humiliating public defeat, in this case in a hip-hop dance battle. Best friends David (Marques Houston) and Elgin (Grandberry) lead a street-dancer crew who compete for cash, with an impromptu audience deciding who has the most impressive or inventive moves. So far, David and Elgin's crew have been unstoppable. In between their busy schedule of dancing and shooting hoops, David and Elgin earn some cash doing some sort of unexplained delivery work for local mobster Emerald (Michael "Bear" Taliferro). David wants to assist his working mother (Jackee Harry) and help his sister Liyah (Jennifer Freeman) to attend Princeton medical school. Then a rival crew, headed up by spiky haired white boy Wade (Christopher Jones), issues a $5,000 dance challenge; David and Elgin pool the money they've been saving, plus a little contribution from David's grandma (Esther Scott), to match their bet. But the duo loses: Disgruntled crewmate Sonny (Jerome Jones) sells them out, stealing their moves and joining Wade's team. David and Elgin's friendship is further tested when Elgin puts the moves on Liyah and shirks his responsibilities in favor of furthering their budding relationship. Liyah and neighborhood sage Rad (Steve Harvey) try to tell David and Elgin that camaraderie is more valuable than money, but the feuding friends refuse to listen. Their conflict leaves the crew floundering and unprepared for the upcoming Big Bounce showdown, which offers a grand prize of $50,000, the chance to star in an upcoming Lil' Kim video and an opportunity to get back at Wade. Working with a story that seems to have been lifted in equal parts from BRING IT ON (2000), 8 MILE (2002) and WEST SIDE STORY (1961), writer-director Christopher B. Stokes' attempts to deal with such serious issues as gun-related violence, single parenting, death and the importance of loyalty among friends. But ultimately he remains true to his music video roots and relies on the film's flashy voltage dance scenes and frenetic pacing to keep viewers' attention from wandering. leave a comment --Angel Cohn