"TURN IT UP"
(2000) (Pras Michel, Ja Rule) (R)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	Heavy	Extreme	Moderate	Extreme
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Mild	None	Moderate	Extreme	Extreme
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Moderate	Minor	Moderate	Moderate	Extreme

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QUICK TAKE:

Drama: An aspiring rapper must contend with various obstacles in his quest for stardom, including his gangster best friend who will do anything to get him the money he needs to succeed in the music business.

PLOT:

Diamond (PRAS MICHEL) is an aspiring rap artist who hopes his music will be a legitimate way for him to escape his inner city life. Unfortunately, his lack of enough money prevents him from getting the quality studio time he needs. Thus, he often accompanies and backs up his best friend and "producer," Gage (JA RULE), on the various drug runs he makes for Mr. B (JASON STATHAM), a local crime lord, to earn extra cash.

Diamond's home life isn't much better than his professional one. His mother has just died, his long estranged, jazz musician father, Cliff (VONDIE CURTIS HALL), is temporarily staying with him, and his girlfriend (TAMALA JONES), has just announced she's pregnant.

Nonetheless, Diamond continues trying to put together a demo tape, but little does he know that Gage - who sees a more luxuriant life for himself through financing his friend and then riding his coattails to success - has made some poor choices in the ways he's been "raising" money for his friend. As a result, Diamond must contend with the ramifications of Gage's criminal behavior, all while dealing with his father and girlfriend as he tries to finish his album.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of rapper-turned-actor Pras and/or Ja Rule, or gritty urban crime dramas, they just might.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R

For strong violence and language and for some drug content.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

PRAS MICHEL plays a budding rap star who uses strong profanity, has gotten his girlfriend pregnant but doesn't want to be a father, and kills various people in shootouts.

JA RULE plays a murderous criminal who uses strong profanity.

JASON STATHAM plays his criminal boss who peddles drugs and beats Gage when he goes against his wishes.

VONDIE CURTIS HALL plays Diamond's estranged father who's now back in his life and offers words of wisdom and advice to him.

TAMALA JONES plays Diamond's now pregnant girlfriend who briefly uses some strong profanity while mad at him for not wanting to be a father.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
Then read OUR TAKE of this film.

(Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated drama. Violence is rated as extreme due to several lethal and bloody shootouts and murders, as well as other non-lethal beatings. Those involved in those deaths and other criminal behavior obviously have extreme cases of bad attitudes and some viewers might find some of those scenes as tense and/or unsettling.

Profanity is also rated as extreme due to at least 130 uses of the "f" word, while plenty of other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered, some in the many rap songs that play on the soundtrack. A woman has just found out she's pregnant by her boyfriend and we see her in just her bikini underwear, while other women are briefly seen in revealing clothing. A character's parents die (we briefly see one funeral), another minor one snorts cocaine and various characters drink while just a tiny bit of smoking also occurs.

Since some/many impressionable kids might be drawn to this film due to the presence of several rap/hip-hop artists, you may want to take a closer look at our detailed content listings should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for them or anyone else in your home.

For those concerned with repetitive flashing of bright lights, some strobe-like moments of that occur in a club.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

We hear that Diamond's sound mixer is a cokehead and later see him snorting a line of coke.

People have drinks in a club, including Diamond and Gage.

Mr. B has a drink and offers one to Diamond, but he doesn't drink it.

Diamond and Gage have drinks in a club as do other people.

Gage says that he wants what every other man wants - "Money, drugs and 'hos" (whores).

People have drinks in a club, including Gage.

Diamond has a drink.

Gage has a drink while others also drink.

Some miscellaneous thugs drink.

BLOOD/GORE

Various people who are shot during a gun battle briefly have blood squirt/splatter out.

Gage's mouth and face are bloody after Mr. B punches him several times.

More people who are shot are bloody.

Gage's face is very bloody as we see Mr. B punching him again.

A dead man's shirt is bloody from gunshot wounds.

More people who've been shot are bloody.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Gage is a street thug who isn't above robbing and killing people for any number of reasons. He's also disrespectful to women and has been skimming drugs from Mr. B's business to sell for himself.

Diamond accompanies Gage on his various runs for Mr. B and ends up shooting and killing several people in the process.

Diamond lies to his girlfriend about where he's been.

Once he learns that his girlfriend is pregnant by him, Diamond says that he doesn't want her to have the baby and that he doesn't have time to be the father. Later, however, he changes his attitude (and even later we see the two of them with their child).

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Scenes listed under "Violence" and "Blood/Gore" may also be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers.

Mr. B threatens to use a rotary deli meat slicer on Gage's face if he doesn't talk (and nearly does so, having his goons hold Gage's face to it with the spinning blade just inches away).

Gage nearly shoots a pregnant immigrant he comes across (who's a witness to him and Diamond killing others).

GUNS/WEAPONS

Handguns/Machine guns: Used to threaten, wound or kill people. See "Violence" for details.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "What the f*ck (happened)?" "F*cked up," "(Let's) Get the f*ck out (of here)," "What the f*ck are you doing?" "Shut the f*ck up," "F*ck you," "That's f*cked up," "I don't give a f*ck," "What the f*ck is wrong with you?" "Piece of sh*t," "Check this sh*t out," "Bullsh*t," "Nigger" (said many times), "Bitches," "Bollocks," "Cut the crap," "Bitch ass," "That's for damn sure," "Horny" and "Balls" (testicles).

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

A moderate amount of suspenseful music plays in the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

Various rap songs had lyrics that couldn't be understood, but we did hear at least 11 "f" words, 2 "s" words and terms such as "nigger."

PROFANITY

At least 130 "f" words (18 used with "mother"), 51 "s" words, 2 slang terms for/using male genitals ("d*ck" and "pr*ck"), 1 slang term using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 4 asses, 2 craps, 2 damns, 2 hells, 1 S.O.B., 1 bollocks, 2 uses of "Jesus" and 1 use each of "G-damn" and "God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY

A woman with Gage shows cleavage.

We see Diamond's girlfriend in bed, partially covered in sheets (but don't see any explicit nudity) and while we don't know if she and Diamond had sex that night, we later learn that she's pregnant from one of their previous encounters.

Later, we see her in her bikini underwear (along with her bare back) as she gets out of bed and walks away from the camera (putting on a small top).

Gage says that he wants what every other man wants - "Money, drugs and 'hos" (whores).

Gage tells Diamond that the only way he's going to get a record deal is if he goes over and "sucks Mr. White's d*ck" (he doesn't).

A woman in a low-cut dress shows a great of cleavage/the tops of her breasts.

SMOKING

Gage and Cliff smoke once, while some miscellaneous characters also smoke.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Diamond finds his mother collapsed on the floor and we later see him at her funeral. There, he sees his estranged father who's been out of Diamond's life for twelve years and the two then attempt to reconcile their strained relationship.

A man finds his father mortally wounded.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

The criminal behavior portrayed by most of the film's major characters, and that some of them use Diamond's budding rap career as an excuse for it.

Diamond's noncommittal response to his girlfriend's announcement that she's pregnant with his baby.

VIOLENCE

Various criminals open fire with machine guns on Diamond and Gage who fire back at them with their handguns, killing most of them (in a sequence filled with massive amounts of gunfire).

Gage knocks another man down, kicks him several times and holds his gun to his head before pistol-whipping him. He then pushes this man around while still threatening him with his gun, smashes him headfirst into a cabinet and then knees him in the gut. He then shoots him dead (we don't see the impact or victim).

Mr. B punches Gage in the chest and face and then does so again to the face (Gage's mouth is bloody). A man hits Gage over the head with his pistol and Mr. B then threatens to use a rotary deli meat slicer on Gage's face.

Diamond holds his gun to Gage's gut, hoping to get the truth out of him.

Some criminals hold their guns on Gage and Diamond during a drug deal. Using a phone call as a distraction, the two then shoot all of these other men dead in a brief, but intense gun battle. They then come across a pregnant immigrant and Diamond has to prevent Gage from killing her (for being a witness to what previously occurred).

Gage's face is very bloody as we see Mr. B punching him there again. He then hits him several more times. Gage, however, shoots two of Mr. B's goons dead after he leaves.

Mr. B punches a recording studio owner and holds a gun to him while one of his goons pushes Cliff back into a wall and holds his gun on him.

A man shoots another man dead.

A man shoots several people dead and another man then shoots one last man dead.

Reviewed August 31, 2000 / Posted September 6, 2000

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