It makes the viewer uncomfortable, too -- but it's unquestionably honest, like so much of Hip-Hop. John Anderson,Variety
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New reviews added from Rotten Tomatoes.
05/11/2007 @ 12:00 AM
The film meanders, sidetracks, and frustrates -- few of the rap songs, some of them boasting wildly inspired couplets, are shown and heard in their entirety. Steven Rea,Philadelphia Inquirer
Dramatically, the movie lacks motion -- the kids don't seem a lot better off at the end -- and the point of the program escapes me. These kids badly need an education. Kyle Smith,New York Post
Director Ruskin is so awed by his subject that he never gains the distance needed to create a bigger, more powerful picture. Elizabeth Weitzman,New York Daily News
Will the music of The Hip Hop Project album change your life? Likely, no. Did the process of making it change the lives of those involved in its creation? Undoubtedly. And that, perhaps, is inspiration enough. Mark Olsen,Los Angeles Times
There is some inspired camera work during some of the performance sequences, but none of the performances themselves stick. It's a shame when a film about the power of music doesn't contain one memorable song. Adam Graham,Detroit News
The live performances sizzle. Expect genuine passion behind the music, even when you wonder, as an MTV interviewer does during the film, whether these kids are that much more captivating than a million other hip-hop hopefuls. John Monaghan,Detroit Free Press
All of this is related in a well-meaning, would-be uplifting but ultimately ham-handed manner somewhere between a PBS documentary and a TV movie of the week. Jim DeRogatis,Chicago Sun-Times
In fact, it is the tyro director's slapdash structure and pacing that distract from the film's content. A rather haphazard architect of his own material, Ruskin tends to rush certain crucial developments while lingering on more lackluster details. Michelle Kung,Boston Globe
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New reviews added from Rotten Tomatoes.
05/10/2007 @ 12:00 AM
The commercial pressure that is often brought to bear on rappers to be scurrilous and offensive. This project, which was produced by Bruce Willis and Queen Latifah, shows that there is another way. Peter Rainer,Christian Science Monitor
In a nation that's stripped arts instruction from the public schools, the Hip Hop Project seems like a godsend. ,Chicago Reader
The film works best when it pays specific attention to how hard it is to write a rhyme worth hearing. Michael Phillips,Chicago Tribune
There's not enough story to the story, which is curious, given that rap is ultimately a tale-telling medium. Teresa Wiltz,Washington Post
The Hip Hop Project has a good heart and more than a little trouble organizing its thoughts. Rafer Guzman,Newsday
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New review added from Rotten Tomatoes.
05/08/2007 @ 12:00 AM
The most impressive accomplishment of Project is not the student-made album, but that when Kazi says cheesy things like 'This is healing through hip-hop,' you actually believe him. Jessica Grose,Village Voice