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“The first episode from any TV show always feels special and thrilling as it introduces the audience to the entire concept of the show,” states ‘Drumline’. The movie features a marching band at a black university in Atlanta. The film follows the journey of Devon played by the famous Nick Cannon, a self-trained drummer who was recruited by the bandmaster personally. He has traveled to Atlanta A&T University from Harper’s neighborhood, where he is regarded as ‘the best drummer in the college’ and a trouble maker’ simultaneously.
Too confident for his own good, Devon is a hotshot. He performs the solo piece of his audition in the most dramatic manner possible by snatching the spotlight from his section leader in front of thousands of fans during a halftime spectacle. The film also shows the emotional side of Devon’s character as he slowly beats himself out of the band and loses the affection of Laila (Zoe Saldana), the dance major that he is seeing. It is as equally entertaining as it portrays his maturation process and the positive changes in his relationships with former adversaries.
In the film, Devon’s story is set against the backdrop of the BET Big Southern Classic, an (imaginary) Atlanta marching band competition. His school’s rival is Morris Brown University, a real college famous for its halftime shows. MBU’s band struts around the field, hoping to win the audience’s applause, while Dr. Aaron Lee of Atlanta A&T’s band (Orlando Jones) has a more sophisticated view and thinks the band’s main duty is to, unfortunately, not perform.
“Drumline” is directed by Charles Stone and written by Tina Gordon Chism and Shawn Schepps. The film is charming in some aspects and frustrating in others. It engages the audience with the foolish politics and strategy of the band, entertaining halftime music, and the story of a young man struggling to learn self-restraint and develop a social conscience. That’s all it does.
What this piece does not do is indefinitely recycle the hack metaphors like the Harlem kid who is somehow “worse” and “blacker” than the rest, seeking conflict. Devon delineates his character in a pathetic early moment where post high school graduation, he has a conversation with his estranged father and explains to him that he neither has a drug addiction, kids running all over the place, nor does he have a life of crime. This is a film that shifts the narrative from depicting ghetto failure to showcasing successful black people. As canon’s Devon, Nick is somewhere on the line between an arrogant self-loather and a self-loathing showman.
In the film, the primary conflict is between Devon and Sean (Leonard Roberts) who is the head of drums and the drum section’s best drummer till Devon comes. They develop mutual hatred that is detrimental to the band, Dr. Lee is convinced. He punishes Devon for what he considers breaches of discipline within the band: fighting with other band members, a particularly brutal secret that Sean makes sure gets out, and most cruelly, for not telling him a secret that Sean makes sure gets out.
Devon’s band teacher, Mr. Lee, also has his problems with the school president who is a big fan of Devon’s musical showmanship and feels that the band needs more flash to satisfy the alumni. Orlando Jones’s character is a little old-fashioned, but in a good way, as he plays a caring teacher who stands for something. The writers must have constructed this part with real teachers they respected while being aware of the Mr. Chips/Dead Poets school of thought because they clearly avoided the cliches.
The relationship between Devon and Laila is tender and refreshingly pure compared to other movies. Although the couple shares only a single kiss, the overly watchful MPAA still deems the movie PG-13 for “innuendo.” Let us not forget: The MPAA also cites “language,” yet this movie is one of the least profane urban films ever. What other movie out there would be considered PG if this one is not? This movie is also in a very sincere way, touching. Its characters are granted depth and reality rather than being reduced to objects of shallow morals. “Drumline” is yet another addition to the ever-expanding collection of movies depicting the day-to-day life of African Americans. What a nice film.
Quote: ‘The movie takes place in the Atlanta area and was filmed in Georgia. The Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown College, and Bethune-Cookman College are located in Atlanta, and it’s rumored that they had in fact agreed to perform as extras. Tennessee State University also happens to have a powerful marching band, which was portrayed in the feature film. Morris Brown had a good spirit to allow his bandmaster to be depicted as a bad guy.’
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