Light It Up

Everyone seems to be putting this film down, but I honestly cannot get enough of it. Not only does this film have a strong message behind it, but it also strips away every defense that people can possibly have for inner-city life (some city areas, not all), and shows the unbearably real lives of teenagers today. The characters are real. Usher Raymond (Lester) gives a believable performance of a young adult, simply doing whatever it takes for Ziggy (Robert Ri'chard), a perfectly portrayed teen, escaping from his father and himself through his talents. Forest Whitaker (Officer Dante Jackson) seems to have captured the confusing officer, who was only out for himself at first. Sara Gilbert (Lynn) is without a doubt perfect in her role as an outcast teen who only wants to be wanted, and silently begs for understanding. Stephanie and Rivers (Rosio Dawson and Clifton Collins, Jr.) are well played and well rounded characters. Stephanie, counting the days until graduation and Rivers, who's motto is "the rules are meant to be broken". The only character flaw in my opinion was Rodney (Fredro Starr), a painful stereotype. As the movie goes on and the plot becomes more intense, we are slowly exposed to the raw lives of the teens. Ziggy (Ri'chard) is severely abused by his father and has taken refuge in the attic of the school. Lynn (Gilbert) only wanted a kiss from the jerk who got her pregnant. He never kissed her or talked to her after. Lester (Raymond) witnessed police officers shoot his innocent father to death. And Officer Jackson (Whitaker) lost his wife and son. The messages in this movie are clear. Stand up for what you believe in. Give everyone a fighting chance despite their age or race. The darkest people have the darkest secrets. These are messages our country desperately needs to hear, especially now.

I don't normally go into a movie and get surprised because, usually, I'm pretty good at judging the plot of the movie by the trailors. But, "Light It Up" surprised me. I was expecting a home-boy driven, ghetto school, non-stop cursing, lunitical rampage by a bunch of pissed of kids. What I got was a movie filled with smart kids, except for Rodney, looking for a way to get their voices heard, but soon falling into a downward spiral after it all goes wrong. My favorite character of the movie was Ziggy. Robert Ri'chard was great as Ziggy, and I felt that, even though he wasn't as visible, you could feel more connected to him than to the rest. Forest Whitaker was great as Officer Jackson, the real reason behind the school hostage situation. Usher was pretty good as Lester, and I have to say, Lester's destiny in the movie really surprised me. I did not expect the final outcome to end as it did. Fredro Starr played the thug, Rodney. He's normally pretty good at these roles, and this movie was no exception. I really hope anyone that sees this will get past the school violence B.S. and concentrate on the message. The schools are the kid's. They have a right to be heard too. If you see the movie with that type of mentality then you won't come away dissappointed.

Four students at a run-down New York City high school lead a riot. When the cops show up, they take wounded school cop Forest Whitaker hostage and try to figure out what they want.

The flip description of this is a prison riot movie with the cast of The Breakfast Club, but that would be denigrating it. Despite the ubiquitous low-lighting levels for modern urban dramas, writer-director Craig Bolotin has several serious points to make, and an able cast that includes Usher, Rosario Dawson, and Judd Nelson turns in some good performances. Unhappily, Bolotin's choice of making the characters versions of John Hughes' comedy-drama characters simultaneously makes them more recognizable and distracts from his purposes (aside from the satirical).

"Light It Up" is smart, heart pounding and filled with suspense that will keep everyone on the edge of their seat. This is a truly smart thriller drama that takes a look at one of the biggest problems facing America.

Everything about "Light It Up" worked from the performances from relative newcomers such as Usher Raymond and Robert Ri'chard to veterans like Forest Whitaker and Vanessa L. Williams. One thing I must say about the cast of "Light It Up" they took the script and performed with the heart and intent of making this film a success.

The best thing about this movie was not the action but the message that it was trying to send the message that everyone deserves to be treated equally and with the same amount of respect.

Also, the characters were richly developed with honesty and integrity that seems to be missing from films I have been watching recently. I'm glad I got the opportunity to watch "Light It Up" because it taught me not to make judgements based upon first impressions.

Whether you like "Light It Up" or not it will touch you and move you to action. This truly is a movie that has spirit and deserves to be watched.

I thought that the film had a lot of strong, positive messages. I thought that the story-line was unique. The acting was phenomenal from everyone in the cast, although my favorite characters were Rivers and Lynn. I thought they were hilarious. Overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I think that most that see this film will enjoy it.