Battle of the Year

Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Battle of the Year Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 13+

Passable drama has great dancers but no originality.

PG-13 2013 109 minutes
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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 2 reviews

Kids say

age 10+

Based on 4 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Stands out for .

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Battle of the Year is a drama about a hip-hop dance crew (including a cocky dancer played by musician Chris Brown) training to take on the world's best groups in an international competition. Though it lacks originality, it emphasizes teamwork above ego and artistry over showboating. A main character is an alcoholic who's trying to quit. Expect plenty of swearing -- "s--t," "damn," "hell," etc. -- and some sexual innuendo and confrontational behavior, primarily shouting and one fistfight. Several products are shown, especially those from Sony.

Community Reviews

joshua martinez
joshua martinez Adult
December 16, 2013
age 13+

13 and up.

this dance drama movie battle of the year is an average movie stars with chris brown this movie is good enough for your older teens and parents battle of the year has some mild violence like fist fights there's some mild language used and some drinking used this movie has a positive message about Teamwork, above all, prevails and check your ego at the door the role model is that although Coach Blake is an alcoholic, he's trying to stop drinking while putting the team together. Almost everyone on the crew is well-intentioned and determined, though some are arrogant and aggressive. They're weeded out pretty quickly.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
CSMContentDefault
CSMContentDefault Adult
September 24, 2013
age 10+

Boring but harmless

For me as an adult this movie was incredibly heavy-handed on the cliches, boring and badly made. The kids loved it though. I took a 9-year-old, who's really into break-dancing, and two 11-year-olds. If you don't mind hearing the odd "sh*t" and "*ss" this movie is just fine for that age group. The coach's drinking problem is barely noticeable to kids - it's restricted to him taking the occasional swig out of a nondescript flask when he's home alone. He never acts drunk or rowdy, and is never seen drinking in bars. I honestly think my 9-year-old probably didn't even realize he was supposed to be an alcoholic. The sexual innuendo was very minimal. There is one woman in the movie and she is treated as one of the gang (after a couple of little jokes at the beginning).

This title has:

Great messages
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Hip-hop producer Dante (Laz Alonso) is tired of seeing the American dance crew he sponsors lose out to teams from all the other countries that compete in the definitive international B-boy tournament held in France. His current crew has lost its groove, so he hires an old college buddy, Jason Blake (Josh Holloway). Not only was Blake a great basketball player, but he's the ultimate team-builder, and he starts by assembling a new crew from scratch, including a cocksure dancer named Rooster (Chris Brown), whose ego is as massive as his talent. Blake's second-in-command, Franklyn (Josh Peck), isn't sure how this is going to work, and neither is Dante ... especially since Blake is struggling with an alcohol problem after the deaths of his wife and son.

Is It Any Good?

The dancing in BATTLE OF THE YEAR is mind-bendingly good, with limbs and bodies flying around so fast that they seem to defy gravity. No doubt the men who make up the B-boy crew are talented and eminently watchable -- essential in a dance movie. What else works? The story's quick ramp-up, which dispenses with the prologue in 10 efficient minutes.

But let's be clear: Battle of the Year isn't memorable. And it isn't innovative. (Sample dialogue: "There's no 'I' in team.") It can be fun to watch, and you may even laugh at its unoriginal jokes, but you'll recover from this battle in no time flat, forgetting what was at stake in the first place.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the coach's approach to team-building and training. Cliched as it may seem, what does it truly mean when someone says there's no "I" in team?

  • Is Battle of the Year different from other dance movies? The same? Is there a formula? And if so, does there have to be?

  • What does the coach learn from his dancers?

Movie Details

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