Let me start by saying that going in, I was expecting something different. Perhaps because I was just going off the title and hadn't seen any previews for it. As it turns out, I feel that was a good thing because I see this as a Romance/Drama. Listing this under Musical is way off in my opinion. Music and Poetry are the driving element that push the movie along and give it a purpose to watch. That being said this is not a musical and nobody is going out to buy the Soundtrack.
The story was well written and the pace of the movie didn't drag. The acting fell between decent and very good. I watched it twice a will probably watch it again (but not anytime soon). I would recommend it to others but wouldn't label it as a high priority or a must watch. For me I would say it's a 6 to 7 but others may see it somewhere between 5 and 6.
Some things I liked:
1. Craig muMs Grant - guest appearance, dropping some poetry.
2. Jill Scott - She was a force to be reckoned with the last 00:38:23 - her poem was a beast mode.
3. Last 00:38:23 - the last third of the movie was perfect pace, acting, music.
Some things that lowered my rating. First 01:06:37
1. Bass - just too much and served no purpose (and I breathe HipHop, but damn)
2. Music - there was music playing all the time in the background.
3. Jill Scott - I love everything about this lady but her acting "SUCKED" for the first 01:06:37 (and yes, I triple checked the time.
4. No Cut Scenes - 2 or 3 minutes of cuts scenes of her and her father listening to old HipHop would have better served the movie. Injecting it into the dialogue made it feel disconnected.
5. NUYORICAN Poetry - They hijacked the movement and presented everything but a NYRican. I've seen them perform and personally know the passion and work they put into their craft, it would have been nice to see them being represented in their own forum.
