Watch Krush Groove For Free

As Good As It Gets

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

It's impossible, or close to it, to try and talk about Krush Groove the way that a usual movie review would go about it. I can't really speak much to the quality of the direction as it's by a hack (the director Michael Schultz has such illustrious credits to him like Car Wash, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Rock 'n' Roll Mom), and while the cinematographer is a man with some name recognition for buffs, Ernest Dickerson, of many of Spike Lee's best films, it too isn't anything to write at length in detailed form (save maybe for one interior bedroom scene at Sheila E's place in the middle of the night that's kind of moody). And the plot, oh, don't go there too fast.If I had to try and sum up the story it would have to just come down to this: it's got two stories, one more dramatic and one more comic, more or less (emphasis on that really), and one is about the start of the careers of rappers RUN DMC, Kurtis Blow and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde via Russell Simmons and Def Jam Records, plus Sheila E, and the other is about, yup, The Fat Boys, the rappers who are up to no good at the Sbarro's All-You-Can-Eat buffet. But if I were to tell someone about this movie, or more to the point tell them if Krush Groove is worth they're time on Netflix or to seek out on DVD, then telling about the story would be third or fourth, if at all, on my list of things to talk about. It's got a story about as complicated as that of Burlesque, only with slightly better (just slightly, like by a nose-hair's length) dialog.No, no, good reader, see this because it's got mother-busting RUN DMC, Kurtis Blow, (most of all for some guilty-pleasure fans) The Fat Boys, and a slew of other memorable and not-so-memorable old-school rap acts out of the mid 1980's NYC rap scene. It's a time and place that seems so ancient now even as it was still part of the post-modern era that we're in now. It's got some lay-overs from the 70's- a disco club that the rappers go to after a gig, for example, and some of the music seems to carry over from it in the beats- but its really its own thing. For me it's nothing short of amazing that aside from the talent that is actually on display, how effective Run and DMC and everyone else were at the time of crafting they're raps to be about things, if only sometimes about having fun, is that it's a rap age that had an innocence to it. This isn't to say Kurtis Blow or other rappers like Grandmaster Flash didn't rap about real s**t going on in the streets, but the tone was different, less of the "Bitches and money" crappola that's sunken rap into the shitter for so long.To see the rappers in this movie, from the main acts to the "smaller" ones (um, LL Cool J and The Beastie Boys for brief appearances), are to see acts that can stupify with the ease with which they lay their tricky rock-and-rhymes. Not all of the acts blow one out of the water- Sheila E's first song (not the Hollyrock, the other one) is weak, and New Edition, well, let's not go their shall we into aluminum-foil suit-ville.But the ones that do make the movie a lot of fun, as nostalgia and just as straight musical entertainment that flows well. And when it means to be a comedy, as silly as it can be with those joyful idiot Fat Boys, it's very funny (the buffet I mentioned before had me cracking up laughing, and I knew it was intentional comedy thankfully). It's when it's a drama that it's a little shakier since not all of the actors, even the real ones like Blair Underwood playing the Simmons surrogate, have much experience. They do alright, but it's a storyline that is so cookie cutter it's biggest shock is how fast it goes through the motions.Krush Groove, sadly, didn't become bigger than E.T. like the original bet was between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Kevin Smith's Dogma. But in its own right, for some, maybe it had (or could have?) just as much a special place on the video shelf. It works best as a slice of a time period, with some dated clothes and still funky and wicked beats and Rick Rubin (!) and cool rhymes done by people who know what they're doing. Sometimes with a music movie I just want to be able to go as soon as the movie ends to check out as much of the music as possible. You can rest assured, and hopefully this is the big recommendation, a Fat Boys CD will be coming express mail by the end of this week.

A lot of good review comments, so I'll just add. This movie could well be classed a historical in some respects, and is actually shown in some colleges as part of curriculum. It is based on the true and personal story of Run DMC, The Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, Sheila E, and others breaking out rap music for the first time to the mainstream audiences against convention and against those who would view rap as non-music and a fad. It showcases the music as a true underground phenomena; fun, creative, positive, and energetic; embraced by urban youth eager to rebel. Poor, fat, whatever, just being yourself for a change was enough for you to make a go of it and be successful. There are 12 musical productions in the film and some showstopper performances by Sheila E (coached by Prince for this film) especially. This movie was based on real events and the roles played by the people themselves who lived them. In that sense it may not have a Hollywood calibre cast and complicated plot, but that wasn't the point of this film. This film was meant to showcase the struggles of a music, the struggles of artists in an emerging genre, and show people where it was at in 1985. It did just that, capturing the heart and soul of hip-hop, where it all is rooted, free from excessive profanity, free from guns and gangsterism; just go out and have fun, stand tall, express yourself, forget the nay-sayers, and throw down the creativity. And the rest is history.

I almost forgot how incredibly dope, fly, def, and funky fresh Run DMC were; especially Run!!! Run held it down! I remember Run's rappin and how it had a hard edge to it, but his character had the same hard edge to him as well. Krush Groove is a magnificent tribute to rap and the pioneers of rap. Krush Groove featured maybe half of the known rappers from that era. Run DMC didn't invent rap but they sure took it to another level. Rap is nowhere today without Run DMC. They elevated it to the stratoshpere. I remember dying to have a pair of Adidas because of them.The movie itself is more or less a 95 minute concert with some acting in it. Blair Underwood was probably the only real actor in the entire movie. Being that this was his first movie, lucky for him it didn't kill his career. As poor as the acting was, I loved this movie. I totally understand that my affinity towards this movie is directly linked to my growing up in the 80's and listening to the very artists in the film. Each artists' appearance was an instant trip down memory lane. We're talking The Fat Boys, Kurtis Blow, The Beastie Boys, New Edition, Sheila E., Full Force, and even Donnie Simpson before he hosted BET.I could go on forever about the movie and even though the movie was low budget, poorly edited, complimented with sub par acting, it is the memories that are evoked that makes me like it. Put this movie on my list of old school niche favorites with Beat Street, Breakin', and The Last Dragon.

Krush Groove is one of the best rap musicals ever made. The film starring Sheila E.,Run-DMC ,The Fat Boys & Kurtis Blow has great musical numbers and a good storyline.It's one of the first movies I can recall seeing in a theater and I own the vhs tape. Look for cameo's by LL Cool J & New Edition in this classic flick.