You Got Served (2004) User Reviews

dance!

[wendywendy_11 · 5/10 · 4 September 2005]

Okay, it is not a good movie. I agree. But this is also not a movie one should go to with high expectations. Come on!

This one is about being young, about music, and above all: about dance. And it is a good one in the latter. So stop whining about the shortcomings of the story (if any at all). It's about dance, and man, can they dance!

I can actually imagine people think this movie really sucks. But hell, if one does not want to look at a dance movie, why go and see this one?

This movie is not a pretentious one. So why judge it on something that it is not trying to be (A great movie with a great story).

I didn't totally hate it...and the dancing was pretty amazing.

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 25 January 2019]

"You Got Served" is a movie that was aimed solely at the youth market. There is no obvious good reason for this middle aged guy to watch it....except that I take pleasure in watching the film on IMDB's ever-changing "Bottom 100" list. And, it seems that "You Got Served" is now on the list...and I have to see it and review it! So be forewarned...I am not the target audience for a hiphop dancing movie, that's for sure!

Before I get to the review, I also think it's important to point out that although a lot of folks obviously hate this film, it DID do incredibly well at the box office. It earned back about eight times what it cost to make (this only counts US receipts) and even hit #1 at the box office! So, although there are some haters, the filmmakers probably were laughing all the way to the bank!

So is the film any good and does it deserve to be on the IMDB list? Well, the answer is no and no. It's not a particularly good movie, at least in some ways. And, it does not deserve to be on such an infamous list. First, what I liked. Although I think there was too much dancing, to the point where I felt a bit numb, the hiphop dancing was incredible and very well choreographed. While I don't like the music, I found myself enjoying the athleticism of these dancers. You cannot totally hate a movie with this much energy and talent. What I didn't like was the plot...especially Elgin. Liking this jerk and caring about him to too tough and the character seemed unreal...and since he made up so much of the plot, I found myself longing for the next dance number! Additionally, at times the film appeared to want to look and sound tough...though I couldn't help but feel everyone was too well coiffed, too scripted and too much like actors instead of street-smart kids. Overall, worth seeing once just for the dancing...and a film not nearly as bad as I'd assumed.



By the way, sadly, Michael Taliferro (Emerald--that REALLY tough guy) died of a stroke only two years after making this film. He was 44 years old.

The dancing is great but everything else falls apart

[christian123 · 2/10 · 15 November 2004]

The competitive world of street dancing is explored through the eyes of two best friends, played by Marques Houston and Omarion. As the leaders of a hot local dance crew, they are challenged to a competition that causes a rift in their friendship, but if they're going to win at "The Big Bounce" they will have to put their dispute aside and work together.

You Got Served has some great dance spots but not much in terms of plot or originality. The makers of You Got Served only had one thing on their mind and that was to wow its audience with its dancing. They succeeded at making the dancing really good but failed to make a good movie. If you watch it just to check out the dancing and ignore everything else then you will enjoy it. But if you notice how bad the acting is or how stupid the story is then you will hate it. The dancing sequences are done extremely well and the movie gets a ten on that part but for everything else it gets a three.

The acting was decent enough for this type of movie but it could have been a lot better. The plot was stupid and it was tied together with the dance sequences. I think so many people hated this movie because of the story not making a lot of sense. While I didn't really like the film, I'll admit that the rating of 1.8 is too low for the movie. It was a bad movie but it wasn't that bad. Chris Strokes does a good job at directing the dance sequences but he can't tell a story at all. He would randomly move from scene to scene and none of them would really make sense. I heard they're going to make a sequel so hopefully they will work a little harder on the script. Though if they did make one, I probably wouldn't watch it. In the end, unless you're into dancing, this film is worth skipping. Rating 4/10

WOW! This is monumentally bad!

[Mr_Vai · 1/10 · 7 January 2005]

I think this screenplay was written by a couple of junior high students whose lone experience in life has come from watching MTV. Actually, it is close to being funny, but right before you are about to laugh at how dumb it is, you are more repulsed by how bad it is. Then there is the acting, or lack thereof. I just love the way all of the "performers" pose and "front" for the camera. They look so moronic! I guess what you want to know, is this film so bad that it is good? No, it is so bad that it is horrible.

Oh yeah, the story is about crews that challenge each other to "dance-offs." Really, it is.

Like Polio, this should be wiped from the face of the Earth.

[Canadria · 1/10 · 28 August 2004]

Let's start off with the best part of the movie. Steve Harvey. This man is usually funny, or at least mildly humourous. In this movie, he had maybe 5 lines, all of them not funny. We would believe that he, as a dance off judge, has more power than the apparent bad ass "gansta" boss.

The dancing looked good. I commend the people in the movie for their talent, but the movie stank. Like an old septic system. The acting was substandard at best, the direction poor, timing lousy and the characters were 2 dimensional. Not to mention that the "competition" movie is a terrible cliche.

I wanted to write a better review, but I feel as if a percentage of my brain wasted away while watching this horrible thing.

Don't bother with it.

a painful experience

[enirehtac8 · 1/10 · 16 October 2004]

Seeing this movie was a painful experience!!!!! all i can say is "i got served!". The plot just seemed like some teenager's badly thought through daydream. The story line was a mess seeming to be made of ideas randomly taken from every cheesy teenage movie ever made. The acting was terrible, as was the script. The writers seemed to believe that to make it authentic "street" talk words such as "you'll", "whack" and "homeboy" had to be inserted thrice in every line. Every character seems to be created from the same cardboard cut-out stereo type, including all peripheral characters, such as the doctors and nurses. The only positive things i can say about the movie is that the dancing was wonderfully choreographed and performed and the music was new and fresh. The grandmother (who appears for about 5 minuets) was the best character in the movie, the actress, Esther Scott, did very well with the dreadful script and actually made the movie enjoyable, at least for a minuet.

The most enjoyable dance movie for me

[theotsi7 · 10/10 · 26 March 2012]

This movie is way better than step up 1, 2 and 3 and other dance films like those. Way better! After i saw it i start to watch the other movies of that kind with a "different eye". The dancers are awesome and the choreographs great! The music in it also! I cant understand why this movie is so underrated. OK the scenario about competitions is a lil bit "clishe" but even if it is i really liked this movie. It is not a love story again like always the strong part of it like the most movies of this kind. It is about music, and the passion of dancing! And the battles seemed too real to be fake that could make you wanter. Then i saw an interview of "David" who said: It was so real the whole thing in that dance ring that everyone wanted to battle and win for real, even when we knew the winner from before. And it seems exactly like that to a viewer who watches it. If you like hip hop music and dancing... Then you got to see "You Got Served" for sure! I have seen it about 9-10 times. I can see it more in the future. Trust me, it worths it. The most realistic and awesome hip hop dance movie ever.

When a rival dance crew from Orange County challenges the local L.A. Champs, both crews are forced to put everything on the line.

[lkao · 6/10 · 18 April 2005]

This movie is a really good bad movie. I knew this movie was going to be bad. Bad like "Dare Devil", bad like "Mystery Men", bad like "Grind". The thing is, I liked them all. Usually, I wouldn't rate a good bad movie this high, and not like my score of a 6 would raise its overall grade; however, I did give it a 6 to try and raise its average. I probably would have given it a 4.

Now about the film, I wish I could pose in those sweet Hollabacks or perform those outstanding 90's. What's even better is that you expect the bad acting to make you laugh, which it does. All in all, this has to be one of the most perfect good bad movies in the history of good bad movies. I think I'm going to buy this thing on DVD. After watching this film I realized that lately, I have lost my passion for cool dancing, but "You Got Served" has rekindled that fire in my heart that once burned so brightly.

I think true b-boys will like this film because someone is actually making a film on them. I think fake b-boys will hate this film because everything in this film is a power move, and for some reason, people who think of themselves as "true" artists want to keep it "real" ("You can't just do power moves all day when you battle, you would receive no style or innovation points!!!") If you're too serious, you won't like it and you should just not get served at all. But if you like serving, you should watch this film.

You got served....another ghetto movie

[obelix_le_faf · 1/10 · 1 July 2006]

OK, they really know how to dance. Their skills are crazy. But that's about it! The plot is awful: two rivals gangs: Obviously the LA White Rich kid and the poor from the ghetto who dance «to stay out of the street».

No kidding, people that say it's not one of the worst film ever done need to take another look at this movie. Everything is there

The cheap plot The bad acting The cheap ghetto life (they wear like 10 set of clothe that cost about 350$ each)... Lil'Kim Presence has a referee (come on!) The Black Preacher guy who've past through lot of crap and act as a referee in the ghetto Dancing Combat White kid that act like they were black...:P come on!

It suck!

Most plot holes and worst story ever

[rogercfam · 1/10 · 2 July 2004]

OK, first off i was lucky that i didn't have to pay for this movie, since i borrowed it from my sister, i just feel bad that she had to pay money for it, but on to my review: After seeing this movie now i know why southpark had a field day with this movie, after spending half the movie developing a situation/dilemma the story is solved in one passing conversation, The kids need to get money for this mobster that is going to "break the knee" of the head dancer if he doesn't pay him back, well all of a sudden the mentor (poor steve harvey) says don't worry i took care of it.... and thats that. wow I'm soooo glad i watched the entire movie, another annoying plot point was the feuding between the two head dancers because one is seeing the others sister, and at the last moment...bam! lets be friends! OK! geez. if anyone out there hasn't seen this movie, please don't, if u do get ready to make lots of comments on how stupid this movie is!

The dancing was the best part...

[TIFFDATBABE1516 · 10 April 2004]

I saw this movie twice, I mean the acting was the worst thing I had ever seen. I love the dancing, me and all my friends did, but the concept was stupid. First of all what makes them think that people would even believe they could be drug dealers, you in a group called "B2k" which means boys 2000, you just another commercial boy group, nothing hard about that. The street dancing make you hype, and what not, but all in all this movie, acting and concept wise, was horrible, and wasn't really worth the money I paid to see it.

My generation likes it because they are a group that everyone loves, but the truth is they need acting classes. All my friends said the acting was crap. I like the group hated their performance.

You're Getting Served.

[JGangsta · 7/10 · 3 February 2004]

I'm not gonna rip on this movie too hard. I thought the dance sequences were fantastic. The rest of the plot isn't important. What matters is connecting dance sequence A to dance sequence B. If they wanted to make a fantastic piece of cinema, they would've hired actors, not B2K. You can't grade a movie like this on the same scale as other movies. Is "You Got Served" gonna be on par with "Lord of the Rings", or "Lost in Translation", or any other movie released in the past year? No, and it's not trying to be. It has the focus where it counts, on the dancing, the sub-plots aren't important at all. It has just enough plot to distinguish it from Darren's Dance Grooves, which is all it needs.

Go see You Got Served if you like hip-hop or dancing. Don't go see it if you're an overly judgmental, frequent cinema patron.

You Got Served gets a 7/10 for a good dance battle movie, nothing more.

Good dance movie

[MAYESY-44 · 5/10 · 6 June 2020]

Really good movie with a good story about friendship and loyalty, good soundtrack with good dancing and a happy ending, what more could you want.

WICKED dancing, TERRIBLE acting

[americasnexttopmodel · 10/10 · 28 October 2005]

Many of you are probably looking at my summary "WICKED dancing, TERRIBLE acting" and wondering why i gave a film with 'terrible acting' a 10/10 score; to bring its score up!!! Fair enough, unless you like dancing you would i'm sure rather endure a couple of hours of severe torture, because that is what this film will probably be to you! On the other hand if you are a fan of dancing, particular break-dancing, hip-hop, popping & locking etc then the dance sequences and soundtrack will certainly somewhat erase from your mind the lack of any real storyline or believability to the movie. Let's start with the acting so my comment can only get better; to be the blunt the acting isn't just bad it's actually almost too cringe for words. The storyline seems to have gone into hibernation also along with any believable acting. So if it is a film with great acting in it you're after this really is not a good choice! As far as dancing goes, this movie certainly has its fair share of impressive dance sequences, serving up a whole load of innovative, unique and fresh hip-hop moves. If you are going to watch this movie for its merits as a dance movie (like i did) then you will not be disappointed as they are truly amazing in terms of choreography, the attack of the routines, the originality of some of the moves and sequences and also the effortless execution of them. The soundtrack is also pretty heavy with a couple of really good tracks that make you want to get up and dance such as "Take It To The Floor" and some really nice ballads like "Out The Hood". As a film looking from a non-dancer perspective this film does quite frankly suck but as a dancer looking at the film in terms of its dancing - in that respect the film is almost in a league of its own.

For hip hop dance fans only.

[supergg2k · 6/10 · 13 June 2004]

If you are not a fan of hip hop dance, then this film is not for you.

If you grew up on Beat Street, Breakin', Wild Style, Graffiti Rock and Style Wars, give this a rent on DVD.

Like Beat Street and Breakin' the story is inconsequential. I am still holding out for a film that focuses on the culture without the hokey plots. The documentaries Style Wars, Rhyme and Reason, and Scratch are huge steps in that direction. If in the inevitable sequel they can just stick to the dancing and keep the clichés to a minimum I may go see it at the movies instead of waiting for the DVD.

The dancing however is a lot of fun and the finale is something to see. Regarding the DVD edition of the film, there are some pretty informative extras about the making of the film and an audio/video commentary which is a lot of fun as well. In this commentary we get to see members of the cast and crew as they watch the film which is displayed in a smaller window in the lower left hand corner. Fun stuff.

I know the voters at large gave this a 1.6, but I don't think that is accurate. I am not saying this is West Side Story, but it is definitely better than 1.6. I gave it a 6 (an average based on a 10 for the dancing and a 3 for the story).

From the acting to the directing to the script and all things in between, this film is without a doubt, one of the top five worst movies I've seen in my life.

[rupture10 · 1/10 · 23 December 2005]

The only reason i voted 1 of 10 was because there is no 0 option. This is the worst attempt at a drama movie in at least 10 years. I would honestly feel more comfortable watching a slow-motion home video of a man attempting to record excrement leaving his anus. Besides the fact that this follows every cliché African-American 'dance-off' or 'underground-rapper' movie ever made, it also contains poor actors, horrible writers, sick direction, and music excessively over-used. They remixed Beethoven, just so you can get a clue. I would save 10 dollars and my dignity by not buying, and won't dream of renting, a DVD or VHS of this. This is probably the tape that killed the people in The Ring, which by the way is horrible as well. DON'T WATCH THIS!

Momentous bomb

[DashTheGreat · 2/10 · 13 July 2006]

Let me place "You Got Served" into retrospect: In order to watch it, I had to wipe it off of my shoe. This movie follows the same old idiocy that every other inner-city "drama" (haha) follows. They have that stupid inner city struggle and we're supposed to feel sorry for them. Boo hoo. You Got Served is almost unwatchable, but you will be laughing hysterically: I promise you that. Then again, I would not recommend wasting your cable bill on such excrement.

Save yourselves! When You Got Served came out in 2004, a dark shadow was cast across the land. People pointed and ran for their lives. Some few brave souls attempted to make themselves believe that this flick was watchable through their own delusions, but all of them cracked under the pressure. You Got Served would turn Luke Skywalker to the dark side. You Got Served would cause Jack Bauer to build nuclear weapons for terrorists and set them off himself.

Do not, for any reason, attempt to watch You Got Served. It may destroy itself. Then again, I doubt anybody sells this movie anymore. They may steal it, on the other hand, and be faced with a punishment far worse than prison.

2/10 Good dancing! I danced too when it made me run away.

worst movie ever

[coreyg069 · 1/10 · 23 April 2006]

this movie is without question the worst I have ever seen in my life. my girlfriend at the time (now my ex) convinced me that we should go see this movie in the theaters and I was severely irritated. I was furious that I spent $7 apiece for tickets to this steaming load. I was so mad at her for this, but that's besides the point.

the point is that the plot to this movie is so awful that it's comical. the acting is so laughably bad that for a moment I thought perhaps this was all just a big joke. however, a little further into the movie I realized that they were in fact being serious and trying to take themselves seriously as an actor. the director made such poor attempts at subtlety that all that he ends up doing is creating confusion and awkward situations where the characters suppose the audience understands what is going on, when in fact the transitions between scenes are vague and leave out important plot details.

this movie is a joke. truly it is a dark point in cinematic history.

Piece of sh*t to the extreme!

[PurplePanther · 1/10 · 30 May 2005]

Honestly, I've thrown this title around a lot, but no other film is more deserving then this piece of crap, this is "The Worst Movie I Have Ever Seen". The plot is complete garbage. It's not even the fact that it's cliché, it's the fact that if the writers of this film were going to use the cliché, they could of at least laid off the pot long enough to finish writing the script. It is complete nonsense. This film seems to have been made with a child's milk money. Sadly, Jennifer Freeman and Marquis Houston go momentarily comatose and forget they have any prior acting skills. I mean WTF!? Nobody in this film can act, not a SINGLE person. (Maybe Megan Good and she is barely in the film). I am so spent on this film, there is nothing else I can say to explain to you what a steaming pile of vile trash this film is. PLOT/STORY = Garbage, ACTING = Garbage, CHARACTERS = Garbage, DIALOG = Garbage. Save your money and your time, this film is terrible.

Amazing Saturday night Crap-a-movie fest

[bobarobes · 1/10 · 15 March 2006]

If you have nothing else to do on a Saturday night invite some friends over and have a Crap-a-Movie fest. I particularly recommend to watch this movie first and then watch Torque. I have to say watching those movies together back to back is one of the greatest achievements of my life. Just sitting with a room full of people and making fun of bad movies makes it worthwhile. And make sure you don't miss the very beginning of this movie because after the opening serving it's all down hill. So go on get on the phone see what your friends are doing invite them over, pop some popcorn and get ready to have your face rocked off by the sheer greatness that two crappy movies can bring to your life.

It served a purpose

[trctyping · 15 August 2004]

It would appear that a lot of adults went to see this movie. All of the criticism is justified, but it wasn't meant for adults. If you losers saw the commercials, what on earth made you think there was going to be a plot..

Thats like going to Scary Movie 2 and expecting a Shakespearian masterpiece. It's a kids movie. Let's have a show of hands for the adults that like to watch BARNEY the TV series. OK, so why would you go to a movie that doesn't have any starring actors and is clearly about young teen dancers (look at the video cover...same as the poster ads). I took my child to see the movie and she liked it. We also talked about the importance of saying no to drugs and other attempted messages. Sure the plot was bad but this movie was in no way suppose to compete with Harry Potter. OK here's the movie plot... young dancers compete to win a dance contest, in the mean time they deal with teenage problems. This is a "young teen movie" not made for critical adults who are obviously to selfish to see if kids might like it. Guess what people, the movie was not made for you... If you don't know who B2K is ... then guess what... don't watch the movie....

If you don't like break dancing please step AWAY from the movie :)

[SCViper · 6/10 · 15 April 2005]

First let's get a few things straight: the acting is horrible, the dialogs are absolutely awful, but the dance scenes, choreography and moves are fantastic. If you like break dancing and have a fast forward button on the remote you'll just LOVE this movie, but if you don't like break dancing don't even bother renting it. I'd give it a 9 out of 10 for the dancing parts, and a 3 out of 10 for the rest of the movie (believe it or not, the acting is not the absolute worst I've ever seen) so a happy average of 6 (in my "break dancing fan" opinion) is suitable.

Conclusion: watch only if you like break dancing.

Stay for the dancing, or don't stay at all

[Nephalim · 1/10 · 23 February 2004]

This shouldn't have been a movie, sufficed to say. If you like the dancing, that's certainly fair enough, but that's the only thing this movie has. Everything else just shouldn't be there. The "plot" is ridiculous, and I've seen better acting at kindergarden renditions of Wizard of Oz.

People seem to think that if you're not a dancer, you have no opinion of worth on this movie. But judging this movie AS a movie, and not as a documentary on dancing, this is a VERY bad movie with good dance sequences. My only wonder is why this couldn't have been easily contained in a music video, so that it wouldn't have to take up a cinema in an actual theatre.

The only DANCE movie that matters!

[no_vampires_here · 10/10 · 26 September 2017]

Unbelievable the amount of ignorance and pure hate in the reviews. People, this movie is about fu**ing dancing, not Oscar stories. A bunch of kids dancing and they serve like pros. Not to mention the music which is awesome. I have tried to see many dance movies after this one but non of them catch up.

Outstanding dance entertainment

[duece-roo · 7/10 · 13 January 2008]

It doesn't get any better than this! I watched Honey, Save the Last Dance, and Step Up. This movie out did them all with the pure energy from the dance scenes. The movie made me want to go out and learn all the last hip hop dances. I watch this movie over and over, granted, mainly for the dance scenes and the music, but that's the whole point of the movie! Everyone has something to say about the overall story. People complain about lame action movies in the same way. Most of Jackie Chan, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal movies don't have a great storyline. But the story sets enough of a backdrop so what you came for; the action, will unfold. Its the same way with You Got Served. If you want to watch a movie where the dancing and the storyline were put together better, watch Stomp the Yard. The same dance choreographer, Dave Scott, worked on both films. Well, there is my two cents. I hope you decided to pick this up at Walmart or rent it at Blockbuster. I'm tired of people hating on this film simple because thestory lacked beef. The movie accomplished what it set out to do: update the urban dance genre. If you look at this movie as a movie you won't be impressed. If you look at it as a hip-hop dance movie. This is the best movie out there yet.