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Movies / On DVD / Light It Up
Light It Up

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Light It Up (1999)

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39 %
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Reviews Counted:46

Fresh:18

Rotten:28

Average Rating:5/10

Consensus: Soon into the student uprising, the story starts to feel like a warmed over after-school special.

Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: The topical story of a group of high school students who form a protest when they become fed up with their school's poor conditions. After a shot is accidentally fired and a police officer is... The topical story of a group of high school students who form a protest when they become fed up with their school's poor conditions. After a shot is accidentally fired and a police officer is wounded, the resulting stand-off results in a media frenzy that pits the dirt-digging media against the well-intentioned students. Bolotin's script impressively ignores the racial stereotyping that other films in this genre tend to wear like bad costumes, and the assembled cast of young faces keeps the film engaging throughout. [More]

Starring: Usher Raymond, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Williams

Starring: Usher Raymond, Forest Whitaker, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Williams, Marcello Robinson, Sara Gilbert, Robert Ri'chard, Clifton Collins, Judd Nelson, Fredro Starr

Director: Craig Bolotin

Director: Craig Bolotin
Screenwriter: Craig Bolotin
Producer: Tracey E. Edmonds, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Composer: Harry Gregson-Williams

[See More Credits]

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Release:

May 2, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Light It Up

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41 - 59 (sorted by date)
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

Usher doesn't have the forceful, charismatic presence needed to convince as the ringleader of a group of such headstrong individuals.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

Writer-director Craig Bolotin wants to get our motors racing, our minds pondering and our hearts pumping. Laudable goals; shaky results.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A deluge of movies is set to be released in the next three weeks. One that should not be lost in the flood is Light It Up.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It begins as a high school comedy romp and then abruptly turns into a TV cop show-caliber thriller.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Nick Carter
Nick Carter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The protagonists of Light It Up seem strangely tender and vulnerable, and the movie does a remarkable job of making their plight moving.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

Light It Up benefits from affecting performances from a gifted cast headed by R&B heartthrob Usher Raymond.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rita Kempley
Rita Kempley
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/01/00
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The problem is the movie is too predictable--so predictable that it keeps it from truly generating suspense.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Bolotin repeatedly reminds the viewer of his lack of imagination.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
01/01/00
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Too often writer/directors such as Light It Up's Craig Bolotin don't take the time to create a plausible plot and realistic dialog.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

The exposition that rushes us into the police standoff is so painfully forced and phony that the only way to keep watching the movie is to take it as either dark comedy or one of those cheap Die Hard knockoffs.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/01/00
Steven Boone
Steven Boone
Citysearch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
rec.arts.movies.reviews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
01/01/00
Susan Stark
Susan Stark
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Writer-director Craig Bolotin dares what few filmmakers have when dealing with such volatile subject matter; he takes the teens' side.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Nelson, Whitaker and their talented, young co-stars give this film most of whatever juice it has.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Tom Keogh
Tom Keogh
Film.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
01/01/00
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

A laughably disconnected hostage drama.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
01/01/00
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
San Francisco Examiner

It has moments of effectiveness, some of the performances are moving, and the power-producer couple of Tracey E. Edmonds and Kenneth 'Babyface' Edmonds obviously have only the best of community-minded, non-exploitative intentions.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
01/01/00
William Arnold
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
 
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