"You Got Served" is a movie that was aimed solely at the youth market. There is no obvious good reason for this middle aged guy to watch it....except that I take pleasure in watching the film on IMDB's ever-changing "Bottom 100" list. And, it seems that "You Got Served" is now on the list...and I have to see it and review it! So be forewarned...I am not the target audience for a hiphop dancing movie, that's for sure!
Before I get to the review, I also think it's important to point out that although a lot of folks obviously hate this film, it DID do incredibly well at the box office. It earned back about eight times what it cost to make (this only counts US receipts) and even hit #1 at the box office! So, although there are some haters, the filmmakers probably were laughing all the way to the bank!
So is the film any good and does it deserve to be on the IMDB list? Well, the answer is no and no. It's not a particularly good movie, at least in some ways. And, it does not deserve to be on such an infamous list. First, what I liked. Although I think there was too much dancing, to the point where I felt a bit numb, the hiphop dancing was incredible and very well choreographed. While I don't like the music, I found myself enjoying the athleticism of these dancers. You cannot totally hate a movie with this much energy and talent. What I didn't like was the plot...especially Elgin. Liking this jerk and caring about him to too tough and the character seemed unreal...and since he made up so much of the plot, I found myself longing for the next dance number! Additionally, at times the film appeared to want to look and sound tough...though I couldn't help but feel everyone was too well coiffed, too scripted and too much like actors instead of street-smart kids. Overall, worth seeing once just for the dancing...and a film not nearly as bad as I'd assumed.
By the way, sadly, Michael Taliferro (Emerald--that REALLY tough guy) died of a stroke only two years after making this film. He was 44 years old.
