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Step Up 2:The Streets

A step ahead of the rest

By TOM MEEK | February 20, 2008

2.5 Stars

For a sequel to a movie that was a shameless redux of all dance romances before it, Step Up 2 is a step ahead of the rest. True, the acting is flimsy, but it has humor, plenty of energetic dance numbers, and enough oddball characters to shore up the predictable arc. Andie (Briana Evigan) rolls with the 4-1-0, an inner-city dance troupe that pulls “pranks” by performing on a crowded subway during rush hour. (If you ride the Red Line, you’ve seen Boston’s version.) She gets a chance to attend an elite Baltimore arts school (same one from the original), and the two sides of her life collide. Not a bad deal as it turns out, as she has two hunky studs (Black Thomas and Robert Hoffman), one in each milieu. The ambiguous commentary on race and class takes second billing once director Jon Chu lights up the back-alley sets and lets the dancers loose. 98 minutes | Boston Common + Fenway + Fresh Pond + Chestnut Hill + suburbs

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