Taglines: Half time is game time.
Drumline brings the world of “show-style” marching bands (popular at traditionally black, Southern colleges) to the big screen for the first time. The story, by Shawn Schepps, was inspired by the high school drumline experiences of executive producer/executive music producer Dallas Austin. Devon (Nick Cannon of Nickelodeon’s The Nick Cannon Show) is a Harlem drummer who earns a full scholarship to the fictional Atlanta A&T University.
There, his talent gets the attention of the school’s embattled musical director, Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones), who puts his students’ education and appreciation for musical tradition ahead of the marching band’s popularity. Devon’s brashly egotistical attitude doesn’t endear him to Lee, whose slogan for the band is “One band, one sound,” or to the drumline’s disciplined captain, Sean (Leonard Roberts, late of TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer).
Devon has more success with the dance captain of the marching band, Laila (Zoe Saldana, who played a ballet dancer in Center Stage), a Southern belle who’s won over by Devon’s confidence. Sean feels threatened by Devon’s talent, and his attitude, so when he learns that Devon can’t read music, he uses the information to his advantage.
With the band facing their archrival at a huge marching band competition, Dr. Lee has to decide whether to allow the brilliant drummer to perform, despite his attitude. Devon has to prove that he can show his skills while still being part of the team. Drumline was directed by Charles Stone III (Paid in Full), and features cameo appearances by musical artists Blu Cantrell and Petey Pablo.
Drumline is a 2002 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Charles Stone III. The screenplay, a fictional story based upon North Carolina A&T State University’s Blue and Gold Marching Machine band, and their drum line Cold Steel, was written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps. The story is about a young drummer from New York, played by Nick Cannon, who enters the fictional Atlanta A&T University and bumps heads with the leader of his new school’s drum section. Leonard Roberts, Zoe Saldana, and Orlando Jones co-star.
The film received generally positive reviews, with most critics praising the energy of the film, as well as the musical talents of the bands. It was a modest box office success, earning over $56 million in the U.S., and almost $1.2 million in foreign markets. A television sequel, Drumline: A New Beat premiered on VH1 on October 27, 2014.
Drumline (2002)
Directed by: Charles Stone
Starring: Nick Cannon, Zoe Saldana, Orlando Jones, Leonard Roberts, Jason Weaver, Earl Poitier, Candace Carey, Shay Roundtree, Miguel A. Gaetan, Angela Elayne Gibbs
Screenplay by: Tina Gordon Chism, Shawn Schepps
Production Design by: Charles C. Bennett
Cinematography by: Shane Hurlbut
Film Editing by: Patricia Bowers, Bill Pankow
Costume Design by: Salvador Pérez Jr.
Set Decoration by: Amy McGary, Lisa ‘Pike’ Rincon
Art Direction by: Nicholas Scott
Music by: John Powell
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for innuendo and language.
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
Release Date: December 13, 2002
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