Cast: Rutina Wesley, Brennan Gademans, Cle Bennett, Tre Armstrong, Kevin Duhaney
Dir: Ian Iqbal Rashid
Rating: 3/5
With the likes of Save the Last Dance, Step Up and it's sequel Step Up 2 the Streets all finding success How She Move is just the latest in a long line of dance movies as teenagers find their dreams.
Raya Green is a high school student hailing from the projects but her intelligence and drive bring her to a prestigious private school.
Just when it looks like she can find a better life for herself she is forced back home after her sister's death from a drug addiction soaks up the last of Raya's tuition fund.
With her parents working round the clock to make ends meet, Raya finds herself gravitating to her former friends from the neighbourhood.
She rekindles her passion for dancing, and gets involved with the local step dancing teams as they compete their way toward big money prizes.
While there is nothing particularly wrong with this film it just lacks any sort of originality as we have all seen this type of movie before: young girl unhappy with her life turns to dance and her crew for support and to try and better her life.
However unlike most of these movies Raya's only chance to better her life is not through dance she is a clever girl who needs money to return to her private education.
How She Move is Rutina Wesley's debut film and it's the likeable performances from her and the rest of the cast that pull this wafer thin and familiar plot along.
However if you want to look deeper into the film there is a sub-plot of how drugs have destroyed a life, Raya's sister, and how Raya and her family are all dealing with their grief.
But the highlight of the film is naturally the dance routines and the choreography and the music lift the film and show off some real talent.
If you like this sort of movie then How She Movie is an enjoyable ride and if you accept if for what it is then you won't be disappointed.
How She Move is out on DVD now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw