"You Got Served"
*** 1/2
PG-13, 93 m starring: B2K, Steve Harvey and Jennifer Freeman
Break-dancing has an extensive history of settling disputes, from the epic hip-hop film "Krush Groove," to "Breakin'" and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo." More recently there's been "Save the Last Dance," "The Wade Robson Project" and the epic break-dance fighting scene in the unforgettable "Zoolander."
That said, "You Got Served" has a distinct place in the history of hip-hop dance films. The now-defunct B2K star in "Served" along with Steve Harvey - who appears as a ringleader of the underground dance movement - as well as a handful of cameos by MTV's La-La, Lil' Kim and other minor celebrities.
Elgin (Maques Houston of IMX) and David (Omarion of B2K) are two buddies who find themselves questioning their friendship when David starts dating Elgin's sister, Liyah. Aside from hustling via dance battles, David and Elgin run errands for drug dealer named Emerald (who resembles founder of Death Row Records Suge Knight). When David accidentally forces Elgin to make a deal alone while he's mackin' on Liyah - he gets jumped and robbed of over thousands of dollars of merchandise, and the result is a debt to the intimidating Emerald.
Emerald isn't the only villain in the film. There's also Wade - a stereotypical rich Orange County white boy whose gang steals all of Elgin and David's moves - similar to something that occurred in the cheerleader flick "Bring It On." Wade eerily resembles the "Dude, You're Getting a Dell" guy but with a touch of poseur Hot-Topic mall-punk chic.
The climax of the film happens when the rival gangs face off in an MTV competition to appear in a Lil' Kim video and win a $50,000 purse.
The director, Christopher B. Stokes, flawlessly balances comedy, witty dialogue and dance without boring the viewer. The second the dialogue gets stale, Stokes cuts into a high-octane break-dance sequence that entertains as well as amazes. "You Got Served" will exceed any viewers' expectations - be it high or low.
