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Light It Up (1999)
Tomatometer
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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
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Reviews for Light It Up
Usher doesn't have the forceful, charismatic presence needed to convince as the ringleader of a group of such headstrong individuals.
Writer-director Craig Bolotin wants to get our motors racing, our minds pondering and our hearts pumping. Laudable goals; shaky results.
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.
It begins as a high school comedy romp and then abruptly turns into a TV cop show-caliber thriller.
The protagonists of Light It Up seem strangely tender and vulnerable, and the movie does a remarkable job of making their plight moving.
Light It Up benefits from affecting performances from a gifted cast headed by R&B heartthrob Usher Raymond.
The problem is the movie is too predictable--so predictable that it keeps it from truly generating suspense.
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.
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.
Writer-director Craig Bolotin dares what few filmmakers have when dealing with such volatile subject matter; he takes the teens' side.
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.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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