Center Stage: Turn It Up (2008) Poster

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5/10
Better than I expected!
hazey9 May 2009
This movie turned out to be a nice surprise. I was a little concerned that it would fall below par being a straight to DVD sequel, but it held its own.

The strongest area would be the dance routines. Very entertaining, they kept making me want to get up and dance along. The characters were likable, believable and linked in nicely with the original story.

The weakest areas would probably be the under par dialog and the been there done that story line. But considering it is a sequel, there really wasn't a whole lot of new ground or directions they could go in. On saying that, the story was told strongly enough to keep you interested the whole way through.

A lovely little Saturday night in movie for all the dance crazed movie fans.
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7/10
This film was commercial for either Colgate or Crest Toothpaste.
Sherazade2 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The lead actress and the lead actor at times almost seemed like they were starring in a toothpaste commercial rather than a movie but I guess that's what you get when you put professional dancers in movie starring roles. Just because they can dance does not necessarily mean that they can act. Oh! come on people, give this film a break. I thought it was very nice and in fact nearly as good as the original. I however have to agree that the makeup used on the lead actress was a little bit too much but other than that she was fine in the role she was playing. Two things stood out to me as odd in the film, #1 was that the main actress could find parking on a New York City street 9a.m. on the morning of her audition, and the second thing was the fact that she was working 3 jobs yet still couldn't afford to get her car out of impound? That was just odd. Nevertheless, the dancing was on point. It a film about dancing so the less said about the acting and certain other flaws in the film, the better.
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5/10
Good, but could've been better
ljcool_1719 March 2009
I was a bit skeptical about this movie since I did not know any of the actors. I like the idea of where they were heading with the plot, but for me it kinda lacked a bit on execution. There were a couple of scenes where it needed a little more acting to it that kinda left me hanging. Maybe put a little more emotion to it. Other than that there were some parts where I felt the lines could've been more, because for some reason it sounded like they were talking online. It's a good movie though that focuses on a girl's struggle to achieve her dream and all the hardships she went through in the process. It speaks real life and I have to say you won't be much disappointed watching this film.
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7/10
awesome chemistry and hot dance moves
lilcutebird19 January 2009
i loved the chemistry between (the characters) Kate and Tommy. and their dance moves were HOT. the way they moved was very intimate. Rachele Smith's acting could have been better but the story line was good (could have been a bit better). i mean i was kind of disappointed that they didn't really have much of a story line including Kate's father. He seemed to be against her daughter's dream of being a ballerina but in the end she succeeded so they should have put some of her father in the end to show other young dreams out there that they shouldn't give up. PS-Kenny Wormald is HAWT!! and if u liked this movie then u should definitely watch Step Up & Honey.
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3/10
Not for the lactose intolerant- warning this product contains cheese
oh-hey-bec6 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I often find myself disregarding reviews by viewers who simply trash the entire film but in this case, please take my advice.

As a big fan of the first film, I was excited to see this movie. I enjoyed the realistic elements of the lives of the characters of the first one, expecting the second film to be the same. It's obvious it has been modernized and made significantly more urban than the first one but I assumed there would be some similarities, wrong!

This film tells the story of a young "self taught" dancer who fails to get into the academy but falls for the new rising star. She finds herself working as a waitress come dancer at a club but eventually manages to overcome all the odds to gain the leading role in a new ballet "Just to show her sister you can make all your dreams come true"

Another reviewer claimed these characters had great chemistry. They may have had great chemistry but they certainly lacked acting ability. I can't say whether it was the cliché script or the poor acting but this movie became somewhat painful to watch. There were several moments of very typical flirtatious close ups and over the top crying. It was ultimately cheese in a TV screen.

Being an experienced dancer myself, I was particularly infuriated with the ending of this film in which Kate "A self taught Ballerina" triumphs over all other dancers to gain the lead in this new Ballet with her boyfriend. Not only is it extremely far fetched to say that she would receive this role but it is simply impossible for someone to (as she says) "Just watch ballet videos and mimic what I saw" IT JUST Doesn't HAPPEN! The mere fact she received the role over the more technical dancers is simply ludicrous, namely because they are significantly better (Which is emphasized in several shots)

Essentially this movie was more "Step Up" rather than "Center Stage". It lacked the discipline that was evident in the first one that so many dancers could relate to. If you enjoyed "Step Up" and can stand to watch poor acting in replacement of attractive people then you may enjoy this movie. For everyone else; Ignore the "Center Stage:" part and focus on the "Turn it up" because this film has no resemblance to the first one.
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7/10
Ehhhhh..... - Review with Spoilers
pretti-in-pnk18 February 2010
Warning: Spoilers
If you are the type of person who simply loves dance movies then you will probably like this movie. I am one of these people.. and i do like it. However, the movie does have its faults. For one thing, the lead characters are horrible actors... its makes me laugh in embarrassment for them they are just simply horrible in my opinion. The story line is very blah. With the ballet dancer Cooper Nielson coming back to the academy as his own company fell through, he seems pretty pointless within this movie. If anything the whole thing that brings this movie way down is the acting and partially the story line.

Unlike other people who have reviewed this movie who considered the first movie cheesy.. and this one not. I don't believe it. I believe the first movie wasn't 'cheesy' at all, and i believe unlike other people yet again that it was about the dance. The lead character in the original movie after all did have a weakness about her by not having great feet, and that was the point of that film, was breaking through those limits of the ballet world to still be AMAZING.

This movie being the 2nd within the series yet again has the same kind of focus.. as Kate parkers weakness is she doesn't have a rich daddy and thats why she didn't make it. The whole point here is to make it out on top and to prove she was worthy to be in the academy with of course a romance going on between.

Overall the original center stage and this 2nd version incomparable as the first is definitely a MILLLLLLLLLION times better. The dancers were better. This 2nd movie is just a way for the people to make more money due to the high success of the original. Its just a quick buck.

I give this movie a 5/10, that is just for the factor that it is a dance movie and its one of those bad movies you can sit back and watch every now and again if you are wanting a cheesy dance movie to watch. But other than that its not spectacular
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1/10
She's breaking all the rules....
I_can_get_you_a_toe20 May 2009
I went into this movie with some very low expectations and was not disappointed.

Kate is a rebel ballerina, who eats chocolate and drinks beer, and who is pursuing her dream of dancing for one of the best Ballet Academies in the world - even though she's never had, you know, any kind of training. 'She has such passion' Why? because she smiled once during the audition? Yep, that's some hardcore passion right there.

The acting, or whatever the hell it was those people were doing, was absolutely atrocious. Probably some of the worst acting I've seen in awhile and I watch porn. Some white gay ballerina dude walking around saying 'Sick', 'Dope', 'Banging'. bleugh.

This movie was choc full of horribly contrived moments. What kind of club owner hires a girl as a waitress because she moves her ass in time with the music? How is it OK for her 10 year old sister to just get on a bus and travel to New York? It's all very stupid.

But not as stupid as the cringe-worthy 'dance' by the water fountain. It was the most horrible horrible thing I had ever seen, I prayed to the gods to strike me blind so as to never see that terrible thing again.

It's best altogether to stay as far away from this crap as possible.
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8/10
Heartwarming romance and great dance chemistry!
Nicescream20003 December 2008
This is a great little movie. As somebody else wrote, the chemistry between the leads was wonderful. In a way this shouldn't be compared with the first Center Stage, which was more like Fame (trials and tribulations of an ensemble at an arts school, in this case a dance academy).

CS: Turn It Up is really a dance romance, which we haven't seen for a while (Step Up 2 wasn't very romantic). The first Center Stage was very cheesy, while this one is much lower on the cheese scale.

There's a great sweetness to the lead couple's relationship, and while they are clearly great dancers rather than experienced actors, they're very natural with each other.

Highly recommended and very satisfying (and the music is GREAT--I thought it was even better than the first Center Stage's soundtrack, which was also very good.)
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6/10
Surprisingly Entertaining
kmstehr28 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
There have been a great deal of movies that have come out that are oriented around dancing, but few have actually had any depth or novelty to them. Center Stage: Turn It Up actually brings something besides cheap camera tricks and cookie-cutter routines. The leads in the movie won't garner any Oscar nominations for their performances, but for an unknown cast, they do a good job with the movie. The choreography is entertaining without being over the top. The main thing that this film should be commended on however is that it doesn't put a rift between urban/hip-hop and traditional ballet and does briefly show how they can be molded together.
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2/10
Kindergarten Acting..Good moves..
mmjamal_8627 November 2008
So I watched the first part and though the dancing was good it was still not the greatest dance movies I watched . Then this one came out and I was like if they made a part 2 then they definitely improved it , if producers actually considered to pay money AGAIN... Not to my greatest disappointment, the actors need acting classes, either they are completely talentless or they didn't have time to go to acting class with all the dancing. The dancing was good I will give you that. Not only that it has the exact same story of another dance movie which just came out ( frankly I don't know which one copied which), but this was actually much worse than the first part.

However , if you watched the 1st part watch this one just out of curiosity.

Rachel Brooke Smith & Kenny Wormland make a good dancing couple. Howver, lil advice folks , let's keep it to the dance floor and away , far far away, from the screen.
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10/10
I really loved the movie
korina_cruz25 November 2008
I really liked this movie. It was really cute. The actors were good, the dance scenes were awesome. I didn't really expect much, but after watching this it made me feel really good inside. Rachele Brooke Smith and Kenny Wormald were great. They're really talented and they're both hot. They have this chemistry, and I fell in love with both of them.

This movie is kinda different from the other dance movies like step-up and make it happen coz it focuses mainly on ballet dancing. I liked this better and I didn't find this movie cheesy and boring at all, so please give this movie a try and quit comparing this movie to all the other dance movies out there. (:
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2/10
Not as good as the original
paperbag_cannibulivourus7 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this out of curiosity, because the original Centre Stage is one of my favourite movies. I expected that this one would be not nearly as good, and I was right. Even though I would fit the 'target market' for this film (teenage dance student) I found it totally contrived and unrealistic.

Part of the reason why I loved the first one so much was that it showed all the hard work and dedication required for ballet, but also had some beautiful dance sequences (especially Ethan Stiefel and Julie Kent in Romeo and Juliet!!) but this one had none of that.

The other thing that annoyed me was that the Kate character was supposed to be a self-taught dancer, which I think is just irresponsible film-making! Sure, it may be possible to learn some things on your own, but ballet is not one of them. It's just asking for a broken ankle, or worse. Furthermore, when it's just ridiculous that she would get the lead role in the new ballet, when clearly all the other dancers were BETTER than she was. Particularly her turnout, and her pointe work were weak. The only ballet scene that really grabbed me was Cooper demonstrating the solo to Tommy, but even that felt as though it was only there to give Ethan Stiefel and dance scene.

However, I did enjoy the club sequences somewhat, but as this is a sequel to Centre Stage, I felt they were unnecessary, and I would have much preferred a focus on ballet. And overall, I just didn't care about the characters.

Overall, even though the original movie wasn't great, it was way better than this. The original totally out-danced, out-scripted and out-directed the sequel. But mostly out-danced.
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2/10
Very weak movie, even for a dance flick
dj_stv22 November 2008
When I was almost sure that dance flicks can't go worse, Center Stage: Turn it Up just comes and proves me wrong. Rachele Brooke Smith (the leading actress), as you are very pretty and know how to dance, acting is still a really big mystery to you, a mystery which you'll see, takes time to discover (to be honest, nor time or persuasion will help you, in my honest opinion).

Now, for the review! First of all, it follows the "dance flick manual" word by word: a young girl from a not so wealthy family runs of to pursue her dream (joining the best dance school), but, what do you know, even though she's very good, she's rejected. Damn, I didn't see that coming! What a shock! Sprinkle some cute dancer boy, a job where she obviously has to dance, and some intrigue, regarding another gal that's up to no good, and there you go, the perfect recipe for another "dance flick".

Besides 2-3 dance scenes, this movie is totally worthless, and extremely predictable. If you love dancing, and dance movies, you should really consider something a bit better, because this film is below sea level, and sinking fast.
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3/10
Eh. Wasn't great
elcee198714 January 2009
This movie had poor and stiff acting from the leads but the dancing was well done. I think if you're a dancer, it's probably worth the hour and a half, but if you're looking for a quality movie, this isn't really it. Rachele Brooke Smith, the main actress, needs a few more acting lessons before I'll watch her in a movie again. It felt like I was at a middle school play watching her act and she never stopped smiling during the whole movie, making it seem really fake after a little while. Her dancing was excellent though. Kenny Wormald is also an excellent dancer and his acting was better but his character came off as your average randy teenage boy, and I'm not sure if that's what the writers had in mind. The shiny diamond earring in his ear didn't help. The story is the same as most other dance movies, just with more ballet dancing than hip hop. But unlike other dance movies, the soundtrack really isn't worth it.
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10/10
Absolutely love it!!
ysic29 January 2010
I can't believe how underrated this film is and how critical some have been about this film. When I first watched it. I was hooked on every scene. I showed this movie to so many of my friends and family that love dance movies and just a feel good film, they all said how good this movie was. The dancing is spectacular by the main character Kate. She is absolutely gorgeous, sexy and really knows how to dance.

The acting ability was flawed in a couple of instances but we are talking about people who more than likely have dancing as their first love and profession and acting as an add on so please! ease up all you massively criticizing people out there. WE are only talking about a few instances here anyway not the whole film.

I like this film more than the first, I've gotta say. There will be people that will disagree but if you are looking for a light hearted feel good film to watch with plenty of dancing, give this one a go.
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2/10
The title says it all really!
tokanac27 April 2009
Well, I want to start off saying that I loved the first movie and I own it on DVD -I have been a big fan of Peter Gallagher since The OC, and now I'm a fan of Amanda Schull and Ethan Stiefel! I originally gave the first installment a low ranking (2 1/2 or 3), but it now deserves a higher ranking, especially as I've watched it about 10+ times! This movie, however... I am giving it a two, but that's the movie itself -there are actors in this movie who do deserve a higher ranking, but that's only a select few!

I have mixed emotions about the title of this film, as part of me says that the title's not appropriate for the movie, especially how it's not very properly made, and the script doesn't have much in it; on the other hand, it's appropriate because this movie needs to turn up the script at the most. The story lacks oomph also -the chemistry with the characters, the speed, and... the sex appeal. Centre Stage: Turn It Up is supposed to be the second installment of the original and it's supposed to play of the original, and even though it mentions what's happened to Cooper's dance company, it still doesn't explain what happened to the rest of the original movies characters like Jody, Eva, Maureen, Sergei, Charlie or Erik; nor does it mention whatever happened to Kathleen or Juliette... It'd be a much better movie if it did the fore-mentioned.

The dance sequences were great, I must say, but again, it lacked the fore-mentioned, especially, as I also mentioned before, oomph -not the oomph the first one did. It was great that the director respected Cooper and Jody's relationship, even though she'd turned him down at the end (of the first movie). Don't get the wrong impression here, Amanda Schull (who played Jody Sawyer in the first installment) is *not* in the second movie, nor is she mentioned.

The cast, also, lacks that certain quality... mainly it's called experience or capability to act. Of course, that doesn't imply to Ethan and Peter, as they've both done this before, and Sarah Jayne Jensen (Suzanne Von Stroh) was very good, and Nicole Munoz (Bella Parker) was exceptionally awesome! The rest of the cast, though, weren't very believable in their roles, and they need more coaching!

Peter Gallagher doesn't make a 'cameo', as that implies that he only pops up once; He pops up roughly five times throughout the movie, and he resumes his position as the director of the company, though, Ethan has a much bigger part and is in the movie a lot more! I have to give a dishonourable mention for the fact that the film only follows Kate Parker (played by Rachele Brooke Smith) for the most part and only occasionally follows another character, her love interest Tommy Anderson (Played by Tommy Wormald).

Saying that, it's not a very bad movie and it's worth a second (or more) look! I do recommend it for a movie on a rainy day, and who knows? My opinion might just change! Better luck next time, guys!
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10/10
Kate was great!
bangel_yih18 January 2009
Before watching this movie I did look it up here at IMDb, and did notice it didn't really have great ratings. Well, so glad I went with my vibe and watched it anyway. I loved the film. About Kate (Rachele Brooke Smith), I very much enjoyed watching her in this film. I've never heard of her before, but now I know who she is. Aside overall pretty (adorable smile) and cool dancer, personally, I think she did very good in her role as Kate. Somebody commented that she looks like Ashley Simpson (dark hair, pre-op Ashley). I agree, in quite a few scenes, I thought so, too, and I couldn't help for a moment to wonder if Ashley Simpson might've been a good Kate, too. Well, actually, probably, she would've done okay with the ballet dancing scenes since I hear that Ashley Simpson used to dance ballet when she was younger. But as for the other dancing styles performed in this movie, the only other kind of Ashley dancing I'm familiar with aside her ballet is the "Ashley Ho-down" thing. So, on second thought, nope. I don't think it would've been appropriate for this film. Picturing her as Kate, no. I think they definitely chose the appropriate actress for this film. I'm glad they went with Rachele Brooke Smith. She owned the part. She owned the dance floor. I look forward to seeing her in other cool films such as this. I give her and the overall movie a "10"!
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5/10
I loved Tommy and Kate!
santanasmith195018 May 2009
I actually felt a better/stronger connection between Tommy and Kate than i did between Jody and Charlie or Jody and Cooper. I feel like there was a lot more emphasis on the romance between the two leads.

They did a good job incorporated the urban dance with the ballet, though I did miss the discipline and hard work that was shown in the last movie. I cant vouch for how realistic it was that Kate got the part, because i am no professional dancer. Although they did imply that she had some formal training up until she was twelve.

As someone mentioned before, most of the focus was on just Tommy and Kate, but that is probably why I felt that strong connection.

Though the movie was okay ,at times, it did seem like I was watching a documentary.
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10/10
Love it, love it, love this movie!!!
reachforblueskies16 January 2009
Something about this movie just gets me every time and I've watched it over and over.

Great dancing (ballet, hip hop, tango and jazz), great characters, great love story. Obviously fans of dance movies will enjoy it but I recommend CS: Turn It Up for other audiences also. It has an edgier feel than Center Stage 1 but fans of that movie should see this as Cooper returns and his dancing is AMAZING.

Yes it has hip hop but it's not the same old hip hop v. ballet movie. There's no battle between the hip hop and ballet dance styles lol. It's more subtle the way the different dance scenes are included, and almost like a documentary in the way it's filmed.

But that doesn't really sum it up. You just have to watch the whole movie--it all ties up so well and brings a tear to the eye. :-) See it!
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10/10
My new favorite dance movie!
chelle-198026 April 2015
I absolutely loved this movie. I wasn't expecting much coming in. I figured it would be cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised. Kenny Wormald is an amazing dancer & there's so much chemistry between him and Rachele Brooke Smith. I was actually hoping they dated in real life after watching it. They are also both excellent dancers so it's fun to see what they'll do next. I was a big fan of the original Center Stage and I'm an even bigger fan of this one. The nice thing about this movie is it's safe for children to watch. I let my 10 year old dancer watch it and she loved it. The original Center Stage I don't let her watch because there's too much sex, smoking, cussing & the part about anorexia. This movie has just a couple mild bad words & there's a little bit of grinding dancing but it's not bad at all. I would say it's safe for 8 and up. Just give this movie a chance. You'll be glad you did.
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10/10
The best movie in the trilogy.
chris_ts11 March 2021
Kenny Wormald can really dance to anything! Rachele Brooke Smith and Kenny Wormald were great together. Because it's the second of three films, it perfectly connects all the stories.
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8/10
From the streets to the stage, so bring out the heat, the love!
x_x_jessie_x_x28 May 2009
Out 20 January I'm a big fan of the dance movie genre. From old school Grease to the streets Step Up. I enjoy watching teen romance movies. I love watching teen romance films with a lot of dancing. When I saw a preview of the movie, I knew I had to see it. It's a sequel on the movie Center Stage.

The movie is set in New York City. Kate Parker is a girl who had a dream to perform at the American Academy of Ballet. So she applied for an audition. But when she doesn't make it after the audition, she realizes that it takes more than perfection to succeed in the dance world. At the audition she meets a boy, Tommy Anderson. They become quite good friends. With his help and with the help of her job at a hip-hop club, she finds the passion, the fire and the strength again she needs to make her dreams come true.

In general, I really liked the movie. But it was a little bit disappointing because I thought that it was a hip-hop dancing movie and not a ballet show. There were a lot of ballet scenes in it and that was just too much for me. Some of the other dance scenes were spectacular and very stylish because they are the kind of dance scenes I really like to watch. The music fitted into the movie along with the dance scenes.

I definitely would recommend this film because it's worth to see it. You can see how a girl gives up her dream but then when she met that boy she got the passion back to chase her dream again. I would this movie a 8 out of 10!
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8/10
Center Stage: Turn It Up (2008) - Film Review - could be better
Andy-Mihalache23 January 2015
Directed by Steven Jacobson, ''Center Stage - Turn It Up'' tracks a small group of students at the fictitious American Ballet Academy, with plenty of appeal and energy-filled film about following and reaching for your dreams, this story is as much about passion as it is about ballet and hip hop.

All Kate Parker has ever wanted to do was perform with the American Ballet Academy. Kate (played by Rachele Brooke Smith), a girl from Detroit with fire, passion, attitude and a blinding-white smile, and Tommy (played by Kenny Wormald) have a natural chemistry between the two characters and their dance moves were really hot. Despite the fact that she has something special, Kate learns the hard way that it takes more than just natural talent to succeed in the dance world. Suzanne Von Stroh (Sarah Jayne Jensen), a smooth ballerina whose father just happens to be a major donor, is chosen instead.

Not very sexual or too intriguing, the dancing and the choreography are inspiring, the movie - however - does have its faults - as for instance some technicalities - but it is definitely enjoyable as this is a story that involves dance and romance, jealousy, misunderstanding and the fire that ignites the passion. They may not get any Oscar nominations for their performances, but they did a good job with the movie, especially for teens. The film is easy on the eye as we watch beautiful bodies rhythmically and elegantly contort in the rehearsal room and on the stage.

But yet again, the movie is all about dancing. Hip-hop, street dance, it's the music that thrills and is a sequel to the teen-targeted dance romance.

Not as good as the original movie, but I would still give it 8 out of 10.
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