Battle of the Year

Inspired by his own documentary Planet B-Boy—which covered breakdancing teams from 18 nations competing in Braunschweig, Germany—filmmaker Benson Lee here offers a fictionalized version. Jason Blake (Josh Holloway)—a former street dancer turned embittered alcoholic (following the death of his wife and teenage son in an automobile accident)—has been chosen by hip-hop mogul Dante Graham (Laz Alonso) to coach an all-American underdog dream team of 13 disparate breakdancers from different street crews. The goal is a top-tier tournament in Montpellier, France, where the team hopes to bring the championship back to America for the first time in 15 years. With only three months to train, Jason faces a formidable task, particularly since two of his top dancers—rivals Do Knock (Jon Cruz) and Rooster (Grammy-winning recording artist Chris Brown)—are feuding. Scowling, surly Jason receives some help from sexy choreographer Stacy (Caity Lotz), and comic relief from his wisecracking assistant, Franklyn (Josh Peck). Crammed with clichés (“there's no ‘I' in team”) and predictable from start to finish, Battle of the Year features amazing and incredibly athletic dance sequences, but not much else. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the behind-the-scenes featurettes "Preparing for Battle: Training and Rehearsals" (10 min.) and "This is Planet B-Boy: Inside the Culture" (9 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are extended dance sequences (10 min.), "The Art of B-Boying: A Guide to Breaking" (7 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)