It's been 10 years since Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan starred in Step Up, making it a good time to look back at what critics were saying about the movie when it was released Aug. 11, 2006. Turns out, they weren't always right. Silly critics.
1. "Tatum and Dewan show some chemistry on the dance floor, but it dissipates during a romantic rendezvous on a pier. They're laughably stiff during Nora and Tyler's first big kiss, and a shot of the sun conveniently setting between their lips does nothing to make the moment magical." —San Francisco Gate
Correction: This review wrongly referred to one of the greatest Hollywood couples as "laughably stiff." In fact, they were probably falling in love during that "big kiss."
2. "Tatum has a bracing rectangular naturalness and easy chemistry with the lithe Dewan, on the floor and off. Their dance styles never really jell, and the movie is lazy-vague on the actual art form, privileging will over skill. But the pair is fused by the film's pulsing energy, which is both sincere and irresistible." —Entertainment Weekly
Correction: This review states that their dance styles "never really jell." We have since seen this "Pony" video and regret the error.
3. "As Tyler, Tatum (who, unfortunately, bears a slight resemblance to Vanilla Ice in some scenes) goes beyond traditional sensitive-hunkiness to convey streetwise humor and affecting shadings of pathos." —Variety
Correction: Hear us out...
4. "Step Up dips from the well that seems to feed all Hollywood dance films: forbidden love between a roughneck boy and a repressed girl, drawn together by their common desire to shake their rumps ... And there's nothing wrong with that template, as long as you have actors who can both cut a rug and shed a tear. But our young heroes seem capable only of the former." —USA Today
Correction: This review wrongly panned the ability of two fine actors. It was also snobby.
5. "Step Up never quite does fly: its dance routines are low-voltage, the star chemistry is weak, the characters are clichés and the movie is practically an instant remake of Dewan's other '06 dance musical, Take the Lead, which told the story better." —Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Correction: The leads' chemistry would go on to make a baby.
[instagram ]https://www.instagram.com/p/qU4IaDgCJw/?taken-by=channingtatum&hl=en[/instagram]
6. "…There's something charming about its enthusiasm, and the formula of the uplifting-dance-romance genre is adhered to well enough to attract young female viewers less familiar with its well-worn clichés. Buff, likeable lead Channing Tatum shouldn't hurt either…" —Empire
No correction necessary.
7. "This teen drama may be filled with some great-looking dancing, but its hackneyed, predictable script is a giant step in the wrong direction." —TV Guide
Correction: The step was in the right direction👇.
8. "A note to future generations: When relieved of an interracial element, the snooty-dancer-meets-street-dancer musical romance (think: Save the Last Dance) loses much of its resonance. I'm writing this down because we're all probably going to forget about Step Up pretty soon." —Austin Chronicle
Correction: It's the 10-year anniversary of Step Up and people are still talking about it.
To be fair, this critic also predicted Channing and Jenna's Step Up TV show: "This could be a pilot for the WB." When snark becomes reality.
9. "Obstacles abound — not the least of these being Nora's unattractive rehearsal outfits — but no relationship based on perfect upper-body alignment can flounder for long." —New York Times
Correction: The outfits were fine. We were too blinded by Jenna's talent to think straight. We regret the error.
10. "Step Up has one really good actor, Channing Tatum, who's also a great street dancer soon to distinguish himself in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints." —LA Weekly
Ding ding ding! And the best had yet to come.
Follow Patti on Twitter.
