Click to read the article
Comment
05/12/07
Rate this Movie 
The Hip Hop Project (2007)
58
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted:31
Fresh:18
Rotten:13
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Director Matt Ruskin's enthusiasm for the project is readily apparent, but his film is unfocused, meandering, and frustrating to watch.
Theatrical Release:May 11, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: From Executive Producers Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, THE HIP HOP PROJECT is the compelling story of Kazi, a formerly homeless teenager who inspired a group of New York City teens to transform... [More]
Starring: Doug E. Fresh, Russell Simmons, Bruce Willis
Director: Matt Ruskin, Scott K. Rosenberg
Get This Movie
Rent DVD
Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.
Buy DVD
Reviews for The Hip Hop Project
No review available.
05/14/07
Top CriticClick to read the article
07/22/08
Top CriticClick to read the article
08/30/07
Click to read the article
04/23/09
Click to read the article
05/19/07
There is some inspired camera work during some of the performance sequences, but none of the performances themselves stick. It's a shame when a film about the power of music doesn't contain one memorable song.
05/11/07
Scenes that should be revelatory, such as a lyric-writing session, are sketchy and fail to give a sense of the work being done.
05/10/07
[Director] Ruskin is so awed by his subject that he never gains the distance needed to create a bigger, more powerful picture.
05/11/07
All of this is related in a well-meaning, would-be uplifting but ultimately ham-handed manner somewhere between a PBS documentary and a TV movie of the week.
05/11/07
the bottom line is that Kazi and his cohorts would be even better served by a film that was more than only intermittently involving, and The Hip Hop Project is not that film.
04/27/07
Dramatically, the movie lacks motion -- the kids don't seem a lot better off at the end -- and the point of the program escapes me. These kids badly need an education.
05/11/07
Top CriticDoesn't really make it clear how the program works or how it handles students that can't make the grade. Are sub-par rappers booted?
05/10/07
In fact, it is the tyro director's slapdash structure and pacing that distract from the film's content. A rather haphazard architect of his own material, Ruskin tends to rush certain crucial developments while lingering on more lackluster details.
05/11/07
There's an inspirational story lurking within The Hip Hop Project, but directors Matt Ruskin and Scott K. Rosenberg can't quite seem to bring it out.
05/06/07
The Hip Hop Project has a good heart and more than a little trouble organizing its thoughts.
05/10/07
The film meanders, sidetracks, and frustrates -- few of the rap songs, some of them boasting wildly inspired couplets, are shown and heard in their entirety.
05/11/07
There's not enough story to the story, which is curious, given that rap is ultimately a tale-telling medium.
05/10/07
In a nation that's stripped arts instruction from the public schools, the Hip Hop Project seems like a godsend.
05/10/07
Net profits from the theatrical release of The Hip Hop Project will be donated to youth organizations, so you can feel doubly good about attending this modestly moving tribute to a small but significant kind of inner-city success.
05/11/07
Latest News for The Hip Hop Project
May 10, 2007:
Critical Consensus: "28 Weeks" Is Bloody Good, "Georgia" Doesn't Rule, "Ex" is Axed, Guess "Delta" Tomatometer!
This week at the movies we have zombies ("28 Weeks Later," starring Robert Carlyle), family conflict ("Georgia Rule," with Lindsay Lohan and Jane Fonda),... More...
RT On Current TV
What’s Hot On RT
Fresh Links
Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox 
The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox
Animated Oscar?
Hollywood.com ponders whether or not an animated film could win Best Picture.
TIME's Holiday Movie Preview
Richard Corliss previews the season's best offerings and hottest tickets.
Scenic Routes
The AV Club's Mike D'Angelo airs his beefs with Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!
IGN RSS Feeds