There are three reasons as to why I decided to watch Feel the Noise and review it. One, I’m a glutton for punishment. Two, I figured no one else would review this film and a movie like this is just screaming to be critiqued. Three, I love the comments that always follow — you know the ones that go something like, “You’re a white guy; you couldn’t possibly understand minority issues” and “You’re a white guy, so shut the fuck up.” So without further ado, here it goes . . .
Feel the Noise is like every other ghetto dreamer flick that has come before it (i.e., Drumline, Stomp the Yard and 8 Mile). This time around we are introduced to a troubled kid and aspiring rapper named Rob (Omarion Grandberry). He’s from the mean streets of New York and is forced to move to Puerto Rico to live with his long lost father Roberto (Giancarlo Esposito). While he is there he falls in love with a beautiful dancer, C.C. (Zulay Henao), who helps him to face his demons and amazingly enough, helps him to get a record deal. I smell Oscar — don’t you?
The problem with this movie and so many others like it is that the producers, the writers and directors rarely, if ever, tell or try to tell a compelling story. It’s the same old shit, regurgitated time after time. It’s all about making a quick buck — why come up with an original plot when all that needs to be done is to figure out a new skillset for the star of the movie to excel at (or pretend to be good at). This time the way out of the hood is some God-awful fusion of hip-hop and reggae known as Reggaeton. Is it me or has the music industry cannibalized itself so much that there is no originality or decency left? This boring, weak story is further dragged through the mud when it was cast with actors and actresses who can’t act their way out of a wet paper bag. Trust me when I say an impoverished group of pygmy amputees with speech impediments could have rapped, fought, acted, danced and had better general screen presence better than the “professionals” spotlighted here.
There is no other way to say it — Feel the Noise is a total disaster. Jennifer Lopez should be ashamed for having anything to so with this atrocity. I don’t know about you, but I long for a film like Boyz n the Hood again. We need more movies willing to dive into the heart of the problems. We need more intelligent movies that don’t sugar coat the tough situations and conclude them with ridiculously rosy outcomes in the end. We need anything other than this steaming pile of shit on our screens.
Feel the Noise? Nope. I just feel sick to my stomach.
'Movie Review: Feel the Noise (2007)' have 9 comments
October 9, 2007 @ 6:45 pm blogcabins
I’m white, and haven’t seen the movie (though I might have to watch it on cable after reading this ;) ), but allow me to say this:
You priveleged piece of shit. How dare you degrade the Reggaeeton experience with such mocking! Who do you think you are? Pinche culo.
Feel better? :)
“Is it me or has the music industry cannibalized itself so much that there is no originality or decency left?”
The same could be said for the movie industry, no?
October 9, 2007 @ 9:57 pm General Disdain
I most certainly do. Thank you.
Sure could. I almost put a mention of Hollywood in that sentence but I was so disgusted with the lame sound loop that was being jammed down my throat, that I needed to drive home the fact that the music industry is in dire staits. It was so bad, I wanted to pierce my eardrums with a sharp object so I wouldn’t hear it anymore!
October 10, 2007 @ 10:15 am Thad
You may be right about the fact this movie isn’t anything to write home about, but you shouldn’t be going into the movie with preconceived notions. All reviewers worth their salary set aside their biases before watching/reading the subject matter. You didn’t and are therefore a hack in my opinion.
October 10, 2007 @ 1:42 pm Jay
I didn’t need your review to tell me that this movie was a waste of space and time, although I appreciate the effort. Keep up the good work.
October 10, 2007 @ 8:48 pm General Disdain
It’s impossible to not go into a movie without some expectations. Plus, I’d seen the trailer, so it was rather obvious as to what kind of production this was going to be.
I don’t make a salary doing this. The revenue from ads is enough to cover the costs for hosting and maybe a beer or two.
Thankfully I’m thick-skinned (and headed) so I’m not terribly hurt to be called a hack. Opinions are like assholes — everybody’s got one.
October 13, 2007 @ 12:14 pm Keith
The objective of these kinds of movies is to uplift those that feel powerless and left out. The music, as you noted, is rather poor, but that doesn’t matter. It is meant as an aid to show there are multiple avenues out of depression. If you view the movie from this perspective, you’ll see it succeeds at what it was meant to do-empower.
October 28, 2007 @ 8:34 pm Roz
On a positive note, the musical phenom known as Reggaeton has officially arrived since it now has its first exploitation film under its belt.
January 12, 2008 @ 1:12 pm Marcos
I am ashamed this movie had anything to do with Puerto Rico.
October 18, 2011 @ 12:22 am class of fitness
@Roz: that’s true but hopefully next time, someone gets it right?