Hip Hop Kidz: It's a Beautiful Thing (NR, 2006)

With just two weeks to perfect a song-and-dance routine and film a music video, the dance group The Hip Hop Kidz and their young adult director, Sean, hit one roadblock after another as the clock counts down to showtime. On more than one occasion it seems like there's no chance they'll ever make the video in time to win a recording contract. All of the Hip Hop Kidz (who range in age from about 6 to 15) come from the inner city, except withdrawn rich girl, Allison, who is delivered to the urban dance studio via limo. The kids practice hard with little complaint, but a bomb drops when their dance space is shut down. Now, their only hope is to convince Allison to get access to the auditorium at her swanky high school. There's just one, big, problem: Allison has been lying to her disapproving father, who has no idea she's heading downtown for practice (lucky for Allison that her limo driver is willing to put his job on the line to help her).

This clean, tween-appropriate hip hop story is a mediocre production with the very familiar "let's put on a show!" formula, a flat script, and so-so actors. But it's definitely boosted by great singing and dancing. The youngest kids are full of fire, adorable, and just plain fun to watch. There are many positive messages including working together as a team, solving problems, not giving up, dedication to artistry, and that it's not your clothes that will lead to great things, but your spirit, talent, and dedication.

Tweens interested in singing and dancing may enjoy this musical, and parents can relax knowing that the hip hop here is clean, innocent, and devoid of negative messages. But while the main message is "support the team," the storyline has Allison continuing to lie to her father. There's a great opportunity for Allison to come clean when her school principle becomes her ally -- but for whatever reason she doesn't ask her for help communicating with her father. Of course Allison is eventually caught, and dad goes from angry to understanding way too quickly.

Studio: Genius Entertainment
Director: Donn J. Viola
Cast: Allison Paige Nist, Cody Longo, Sean Peredes
Genre: Musical
Run time: 60 minutes
Theatrical release: October 3, 2006
DVD release: October 3, 2006
MPAA Rating: NR