Soft-core steppin'

Just as people don't need any complicated plot coming in and mucking up their porn, I didn't need some sappy, convoluted plot unraveling during my step movie. For those who don't know, step-dancing is the energetic footwork-intensive style of dance coming out of Chicago that has taken the nation by storm. \nWhat looked like a high-energy step-fest from the previews turned out to be a poorly written movie that was sending a moral message at every turn -- remember where you come from, don't do drugs, education is the way to move up in the world, etc. \nFor those who actually care about the plot of this one -- the recycled yarn used in "How She Move" is that Raya is a smart, hard-working student who must quit private school and come home when her older sister dies from a drug overdose. Somehow, the dead sister is to blame for the fact that the family lacks the money to pay for Raya's schooling, but this was never completely explained. \nAs Raya tries to find her place among old friends she left behind, she must also find a way to make enough money to go back to private school in steps, or more accurately, through step. Raya hears of the Stepmonster competition. With prize money of $50,000 looming, she will do anything to get to the contest and win, no matter whom she has to step on -- pardon the pun -- to get there.\nThe plot is innocuous enough, but the movie spends way too much time getting to the dancing. By the time Raya has gone through her problems at school, at home and in her personal life, there's precious little time to showcase the Stepmonster acts. Plus, the man in charge of filming obviously had no idea how to effectively shoot stepping. And as if the bad writing, so-so acting and soft-core step weren't terrible enough, the film quality and lighting are sub-par too.\nA movie about step should provide ooo's and aaa's, not Z's.