A near perfect blend of street beats, real life testimony, stylish cinematography and even a bit of group therapy.

| Original Score: 3.5/4.0 | Sep 10, 2020

Rolle's passion and perseverance power the film, and along the way he gets a boost from rap mogul Russell Simmons and Bruce Willis.

| Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 23, 2009

It makes the viewer uncomfortable, too -- but it's unquestionably honest, like so much of Hip-Hop.

Full Review | Jul 22, 2008

[A] powerful and, if we're lucky, influential documentary.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Sep 18, 2007

Based on what we hear, though, it's hard to assess whether anyone has any breakthrough potential. Likewise, there's nothing remarkable about the filmmaking.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 30, 2007

Even if you don't particulary care for rap, The Hip Hop Project may persuade you that there's something to be said for it, after all.

| Original Score: B | May 23, 2007

Unfortunately, this is a Hallmark version of hip-hop-and it really hurts to knock this film.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 19, 2007

More, I can't shed my enthusiasm for what Kazi accomplished, the philanthropic legacy he has crafted to give voices to the voiceles a simply stunning achievement.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 12, 2007

| Original Score: C+ | May 12, 2007

A big, wet, sloppy valentine to hip-hop's power to give voice to the voiceless.

| Original Score: b | May 12, 2007

The story is compelling enough that even glib phrases like 'healing through hip-hop' can't drag it down.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 11, 2007

First-time director Matt Ruskin is a skilled documentarian; he releases information gradually so the narrative develops in an organic fashion that is consistently engaging.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 11, 2007

The film meanders, sidetracks, and frustrates -- few of the rap songs, some of them boasting wildly inspired couplets, are shown and heard in their entirety.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 11, 2007

Dramatically, the movie lacks motion -- the kids don't seem a lot better off at the end -- and the point of the program escapes me. These kids badly need an education.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | May 11, 2007

[Director] Ruskin is so awed by his subject that he never gains the distance needed to create a bigger, more powerful picture.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 11, 2007

Will the music of The Hip Hop Project album change your life? Likely, no. Did the process of making it change the lives of those involved in its creation? Undoubtedly. And that, perhaps, is inspiration enough.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 11, 2007

Net profits from the theatrical release of The Hip Hop Project will be donated to youth organizations, so you can feel doubly good about attending this modestly moving tribute to a small but significant kind of inner-city success.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | May 11, 2007

There is some inspired camera work during some of the performance sequences, but none of the performances themselves stick. It's a shame when a film about the power of music doesn't contain one memorable song.

| May 11, 2007

The live performances sizzle. Expect genuine passion behind the music, even when you wonder, as an M온라인카지노추천 interviewer does during the film, whether these kids are that much more captivating than a million other hip-hop hopefuls.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 11, 2007

All of this is related in a well-meaning, would-be uplifting but ultimately ham-handed manner somewhere between a PBS documentary and a 온라인카지노추천 movie of the week.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 11, 2007