Drumline (2002)

  Odds are looking pretty grim for me getting to see Whiplash before the Oscar ceremony.  Netflix doesn't have it getting released until Feb 24, two days too late.  But this is almost the same thing, right?  Young drum prodigy is pushed to achieve his fullest potential by an obsessively demanding mentor?  Totally the same movie.

It would have to be an alternate fucking universe for this movie to be nominated for five Academy awards, though.  The plot is a juvenile retread of an already worn-out tale that does nothing to elevate itself.  Nick Cannon contorts his face into various caricatures of expressions and calls it acting while Leonard Roberts glowers non-stop.  This was still very early in Zoe Saldana's career, so she can be forgiven and Orlando Jones is solid, as usual.

Devon Miles (Nick Cannon) is offered a scholarship to a prestigious Atlanta college based on his drumming ability.  Once there, however, the cocky young upstart soon finds himself at odds with his section leader (Leonard Roberts) for his inability to work within a team.  The college president (Afemo Omilami) likes Devon's flair for the dramatic, seeing it as a way to raise flagging alumni interest despite the objections of the band director (Orlando Jones), who wants to focus on musicianship instead of pandering to popular opinion.

Let's face it, nobody is watching this film for its riveting portrayal of college marching band dynamics.  They're watching for the jaw-dropping precision of the final product:  the performances.  And there are some fantastic ones in here.  Unfortunately, they are buried beneath a lead weight of bad acting, bad dialogue, and extraneous scenes that do nothing to further the plot.  Throw this title right on top of the "Avoid At All Costs" pile.