You Got Served
No one and nothing is really being served well by "You Got Served" — not the musical performers and dancers left adrift by the film's machinations and certainly not any audience members foolish enough to sit through it.This urban break-dancing drama is essentially "Breakin' 3: Taking the Electric Boogaloo to the Streets." Although, it doesn't even live up to the low standards of the mid-'80s "Breakin' " dance movies.
In fact, the only thing that even makes "You Got Served" in the least bit watchable is a series of break-dancing competition scenes.
But there aren't enough of those to help you forget just how generic the story is.
"You Got Served" follows a dancing "crew" led by lifelong friends David (Omari Grandberry) and Elgin (Marques Houston). They pretty much rule every dance floor they step on to — until they "throw down" with an Orange County crew that has swiped their best moves.
David and Elgin's mentor, Mr. Rad (Steve Harvey), advises them to practice even harder and keep their chins up, but instead the two pals take the defeat badly. And when David begins dating Elgin's sister, Liah (Jennifer Freeman), they suddenly find themselves on the outs.
The plotting is horribly contrived and at times it seems that the cast is simply making it up as they go along.
Further complicating matters are laughably awful attempts at acting. (Thankfully, Harvey at least tries to inject at a little humor into this mess.)
"You Got Served" is rated PG-13 for violence (dance-floor scuffles), scattered use of strong profanity, suggestive dance moves and use of vulgar gestures, and some drug content (drug dealing). Running time: 94 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com