How She Move

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How She Move

PG-13

2007

1h 38m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

78 Reviews

51%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Raya (Rutina Wesley), a gifted student and dancer at an elite academy, must return home and attend public school after her sister's drug-related death. She has a bitter rivalry with Michelle (Tré Armstrong), in which the two try to see which is the better dancer. Raya convinces Bishop to let her join his all-male dance troupe as they prepare for an upcoming competition.

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Critics Consensus

Despite a formulaic plot, the energetic and gritty How She Move is elevated by a commanding debut performance by Rutina Wesley.

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Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Oct 18, 2008

2/5

Another week, another urban dance movie from the United States.

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Paul Byrnes

Sydney Morning Herald

Apr 11, 2008

3.5/5

The film does have great energy, and some fabulous dancing, but the script could have done with another draft.

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Anna Smith

BBC.com

Apr 8, 2008

2/5

It's a familiar set-up, but while the story falls back on clichés and trite moral messages, a few dance scenes deliver in spectacular style.

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

Sep 11, 2020

2.5/4.0

A film that is as comfortable and entertaining when its characters are still and silent as it is when they are exploding on the dance floor.

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Julie E. Washington

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Aug 17, 2017

C

How She Move is fun to watch while it's on its feet and moving. But when the music stops, so does our consideration.

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Jan 2, 2014

2/4

Shows that there's more to Canadian film than icy introspection, but it also shows they can wallow in formula as thickly as their Yank counterparts.

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Jan 22, 2026

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Jan 26, 2023

A pre-True Blood Rutina Wesley stars as a young girl wanting to find her spot in the street culture of urban dancing The movie truly shows it has a budget but it is worth watching for the lead actress Raya is a girl attending prep school but she gets kicked out She moves back to her old neighborhood to reevaluate her future following her sisters death from a drug overdose A competition for $50,000 catches her eye so she joins an all-male dance crew The women around her isolate her because of her jealousy and the dance crew shun her because of her sex For Raya to achieve her medical school dreams she'll have to earn back everyone's trust or perhaps form her own dance crew starting over from scratch Rutina Wesley's performance alone is enough to carry everything bringing a dynamite physicality It's got that muscular gritty girl power vibe; the females challenge the greater strength and energy of the male performers Great energy and cool dancing sequences too As trite as this script is it feels genuine focusing on a certain part of a neighborhood where even young teens that hit their lowest can climb back up with their own moves

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Dec 10, 2015

Phenomenal dancing. Interesting story and believable cast.

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Jan 5, 2013

i love all the dance she makes and the story behind her life.

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Nov 7, 2012

How She Move has a great cultural presentation with its dance styles, mixing characters with others consistently. But, there is something empty about the film that doesn't reach as high as it could have where the characters are nearly generic and the plot is hardly given much significance.

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Sep 19, 2012

Overall there's some good dancing in this movie, but I felt like I've seen the story a hundred times.

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Ian Iqbal Rashid

Director

Rutina Wesley

Raya

Tré Armstrong

Michelle

Dwain Murphy

Bishop

Brennan Gademans

Quake

Clé Bennett

Garvey

How She Move: Official Clip - I Want to Perform with My Team

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How She Move: Official Clip - Think Your Step is Better Than Mine?

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How She Move: Official Clip - It's a Chance, Not a Guarantee

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How She Move: Official Clip - I Need This

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How She Move: Official Clip - Kin Dreadz

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How She Move: Official Clip - Detroit Step Show

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How She Move: Official Clip - Do Some Damage

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How She Move: Official Clip - JSJ Crew

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How She Move: Official Clip - My Boots

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Synopsis

Raya (Rutina Wesley), a gifted student and dancer at an elite academy, must return home and attend public school after her sister's drug-related death. She has a bitter rivalry with Michelle (Tré Armstrong), in which the two try to see which is the better dancer. Raya convinces Bishop to let her join his all-male dance troupe as they prepare for an upcoming competition.

Director: Ian Iqbal Rashid
Producer: Jennifer Kawaja, Julia Sereny, Brent Barclay
Screenwriter: Annemarie Morais
Production Co: Sienna Films Inc.
Rating: PG-13 (Some Drug Content|Language|Suggestive Material)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Jan 25, 2008
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $7.1M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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