SummaryStep documents the senior year of a girls’ high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. As each one tries to become the first in their families to attend college, the girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.
Directed By:Amanda Lipitz
Step
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
User score
Generally Favorable
7.2
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Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
81
93% Positive
25 Reviews
25 Reviews
7% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Aug 24, 2017
100
Inspirational and moving, Step is full of heart, with a kicking beat: highly recommended.
Aug 4, 2017
90
There are many films that attempt to illuminate the world through pain, but Step is most instructive in its moments of joy.
Feb 22, 2017
90
Emotionally involving material is the key element to a good human-interest documentary, and Lipitz, a Baltimore native with a background in Broadway producing, has tapped into a great story here of adversity, struggle and elevating achievement.
Aug 15, 2017
80
If the formula feels familiar, the girls’ personalities obliterate any chance of tedium, with Broadway producer-turned-director Amanda Lipitz providing sensitive insight into their home lives while capturing the toe-tapping with joyful aplomb.
Aug 7, 2017
75
Step may stumble over its own hurried pace (cramming months of school into montage after montage), but such a method is almost forgivable once you realize that the film is speeding towards an effective finale that will have you cheering no matter what.
Aug 3, 2017
70
The film’s success is directly dependent on the personalities — and achievements — of the young women highlighted. Despite the narrative gaps, Ms. Lipitz excels at putting across those personalities.
Aug 2, 2017
50
Over and over, it pitches us reasons to care about these young women—an all-too-perfect example of a documentary that exists to make people feel good for watching it.
User score
Generally Favorable
7.2
67% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
17% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Aug 24, 2017
6
The title suggests that this film will be about the dance style that's popular among black fraternities and sororities (and the "Step Up" movies). Instead, it revolves around a group of young women at an inner-city Baltimore high school who are on their school's step team. This only serves as the fulcrum around which the stories of several girls are told. There are touching moments as we see/hear about their personal challenges and work to get accepted in college (the first in their families). A similar doc called "Mad Hot Ballroom" was released in 2005 and did a more compelling job of telling a similar story. The narrative takes time to develop, but still manages to prove poignant and ultimately triumphant.
Production Company:
- Fox Searchlight Pictures
- Artemis Rising Foundation
- Bloomberg Philanthropies
- Candescent Films
- Chicago Media Project
- Chicken And Egg Pictures
- Epiphany Story Lab
- Impact Partners
- Stick Figure Productions
- Vulcan Productions
Release Date:Aug 4, 2017
Duration:1 h 24 m
Rating:PG
Tagline:A real life story
Awards
Seattle International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 3 Nominations
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
