BATTLE OF THE YEAR | FAMILY MOVIE REVIEW INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND KIDS

"BATTLE OF THE YEAR"
(2013) (Josh Holloway, Chris Brown) (PG-13)

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: A washed-up former coach is hired to assemble an all-star team of American b-boy dancers to compete in an international competition and bring the trophy back home to the country where the craze started.

PLOT:

Jason Blake (JOSH HOLLOWAY) and Dante Graham (LAZ ALONSO) were once teammates on a b-boy dance crew that kicked off the craze commonly known as break dancing. Yet, while Dante went on to success as an entrepreneur, Jason's former success at basketball coaching was overshadowed by the deaths of his wife and son in a car accident. Now washed up and with a drinking problem, he lives in a small, unkempt apartment. At the same time, Dante fears that the waning popularity of b-boying could impact his company's hip-hop product line. Remembering how Jason brought their dance crew together in the past and fully aware of his coaching success, he approaches his old friend about coaching the L.A. b-boy crew for the upcoming Battle of the Year dance competition held in Paris.

Jason is reluctant, but eventually agrees, with the caveat that he have complete control of all coaching decisions, including assigning Dante's employee, Franklyn (JOSH PECK), as his assistant coach. That's followed by shelving the L.A. crew in favor of creating an all-star "dream team" from all corners of the U.S. Among those he chooses are Rooster (CHRIS BROWN) and Do Knock (JON 'DO KNOCK' CRUZ), who are former friends but current adversaries; Lil Adonis (RICHARD MAGUIRE) who doesn't like the fact that Sniper (SAWANDI WILSON) is homophobic toward him; Flipz (IVAN 'FLIPZ' VELEZ) who secretly has a wife and child; and a number of others.

Lodging and training them at a former juvenile detention center, Jason hopes to whip the crew into shape, including repressing egos and getting the members to work together as a team, all with the help of choreographer Stacy (CAITY LOTZ). With little time before the trip to Paris, Jason must whittle the b-boy crew down so that they can best represent America in competing against foreign teams, and especially the South Koreans who've dominated the competition for more than a decade.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Those who are into b-boy dancing (break-dancing) may be interested, as might those who are fans of anyone in the cast.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For language and some rude behavior.

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