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Tommy the Clown, Lil Tommy, Larry, El Nino Ahui Camacho, Lil C ... see more see more... , Tight Eyez , Baby Tight Eyez , Daisy , Ms. Prissy , La Nina , Quinesha , Swoop , Dragon , Big X , Miss Prissy , Kevin Scott Richardson , Larry Berry

Noted photographer David LaChapelle makes his feature directorial debut with this documentary on a new facet of street culture in South Central Los Angeles. In 1992, after long-simmering racial tensio... read more read more...ns in Los Angeles erupted in riots following the verdicts in the Rodney King trial, a man named Tommy Johnson sought to spread a new message in a new way to the city's African-Americans. Creating a character called Tommy the Clown, Johnson developed an act that combined hip-hop-flavored comedy and dancing with an anti-gang and anti-violence message. Johnson's performances became wildly popular in South Central -- so much so that at one point, 50 different groups inspired by Johnson's example were performing in the area. In time, Johnson's loose-limbed dance style inspired a new wave of hip-hop street dancing called "krumping," a wildly athletic style in which arms, legs, and bodies fly with a frenzied abandon that moves at almost inhuman speeds. Rize follows the birth of clown dancing and krumping in South Central, and records how many young people have adopted the dance as a style of competition, offering a safer and healthier alternative to the gang culture that has long dominated Los Angeles. Rize premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

83% liked it

8,603 ratings

Critics

83% liked it

90 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 25 min.

Directed by: David LaChapelle

Release Date: June 24, 2005

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DVD Release Date: October 25, 2005

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Stats: 850 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (850)

  • rjsmoove11
    June 26, 2010
    rjsmoove11
    Having lived in Los Angeles for the last decade, I was here when Krumping was a big thing amongst the inner city youth. I didn't live in the same neighborhoods, but I went to school in South Central for a couple of years. So I got to witness the dance first hand. When I first saw... read more it, I laughed at it. To me it looked like nothing more than controlled flailing. Just swinging your arms around with balled fists, rolling your body like a stripper, jumping around, fake fighting and not much more. After seeing this documentary (which got snubbed for at least a nomination for Best Documentary), I realize that it is so much more than that. To the kids that are in that world, it is everything to them. It keeps them out of trouble, it gives them something to do besides play sports.

    I really have to commend Tommy the Clown for what he did. I've seen him at a party once, but I wasn't too familiar with his movement back then. What he has done is bring hope to kids that had almost none. Without his guidance, a lot of the kids in this film would be in gangs, in jail, doing nothing productive at all, or possibly dead. That alone makes this a film that everyone should see. I wanted to give it a higher score, but I still have trouble taking Krumping, as a form of dance, seriously. Still, this is an excellent film.
  • staindslaved
    April 6, 2012
    staindslaved
    A remarkably well constructed film about the birth of the "Krump" dance style. I saw this film completely by accident. It was simply on the last channel I watched when I turned on my TV (looking to kill a half hour before work). I was scrolling through the guide to find someth... read moreing to watch but eventually was so intrigued by the film I wound up watching it and recording it for after work. As an incredibly "white" dancer myself I've always found this style of dancing...um...whack? But it was incredibly interesting and even remarkable to hear from the other side. I also strongly agree with the overall message, most poor inner city areas present such fear, violence and poor education that crime, gang banging and drugs dominate. If these kids want to express themselves through intense free-style dance moves than all the power to them!

    P.S. Only one point I disagree with in the film. It shows very VERY young girl "popping" (that shacking the booty thing) and their parents/siblings supporting it claiming "She's just having fun, people always say like 'I'd never let my daughter do that' but she's just a young girl enjoying herself. There's no harm in that." I strongly disagree. "Popping" is a very sexually suggestive move. If you wouldn't want your 5-year daughter old pole dancing in go-go boots, you probably don't want her "popping" either.
  • zeravenyoej
    July 21, 2007
    zeravenyoej
    I only watched a half hour of this and already had more than enough. But hey, if you love to watch people from the ghetto uttering half hearted, believe-in-yourself cliches while performing at first appealing, then off putting "dance" moves, then this is the movie for you.
  • trisarahtops22
    May 16, 2009
    trisarahtops22
    It was interesting to watch the krumping I guess, and it's great that it's keeping kids out of gangs, but I didn't find the film that compelling. At the end after the dance battle, it's kind of like they're rival gangs anyway...
  • sjcole4
    April 21, 2008
    sjcole4
    For a movie that's about dancing (albeit the power of dancing) this is a really good movie!! By the end of the movie you completely understand "krump" is more than just a form of dance to its creators...and that is truly the beauty of this movie.
  • sweeptheleg
    September 6, 2006
    sweeptheleg
    Hilarious. There is nothing funnier than seeing Tommy the Clown win the competition, then seeing him cry cuz his house got broken into. -1 star for the guy doing the stripper dance shirtless.
  • moviezgirl
    July 8, 2008
    moviezgirl
    This was an interesting film that I just happened to catch on TV one day. The dancing was great and the added bonus is that I now know the exact difference between Krumping and Clowning.
  • prettypersuasion
    September 21, 2007
    prettypersuasion
    so much amazing dancing. i love dancing clowns. i wish i could crunk...this documentary was quite awesome...although a little slow at times, with great photography (with david lachapelle as the director of photography, what else would you expect?)
  • ijustgottabeme
    September 1, 2007
    ijustgottabeme
    Wonderfully shot & portrays a stark reality. I love the way they associate krumping with a raw, animalistic, tribal expression of emotion. Engrossing & worthy of re-watching. Made me cheer, made me angry and overall made me want to RIZE up and challenge our world.
  • ac2010fz
    July 8, 2007
    ac2010fz
    David LaChapelle is my hero, my idol. There's no doubt I would not like any of his work, including this 1. Truely, it was real, and you can feel the passion thru every dancer's movies. Hope David would make more films!!

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Critic Reviews

Susan Walker
August 5, 2005
Susan Walker, Toronto Star

It's a well-known truth in the dance world that the body doesn't lie. As long as the characters in this film are dancing, we have little reason to doubt their sincerity. But once turned into talking h... Full Review

Liam Lacey
August 5, 2005
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

A vivid portrait of art rising from deprivation and social hopelessness. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
July 1, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

[LaChapelle's] not the world's best documentarian, but he saw something that needed chronicling. So he turned his camera on the krumpers and let them do the rest. Smart choice.

Lisa Kennedy
July 1, 2005
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Clowning and krumping are urban art and art therapy in motion. Full Review

Ty Burr
July 1, 2005
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

It's a feel-good film that actually makes you feel good. Full Review

Richard Roeper
June 27, 2005
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

It's an incomplete film. We don't get to know these kids well enough. Full Review

Claudia Puig
June 24, 2005
Claudia Puig, USA Today

LaChapelle reveals the captivating qualities of gritty street dancing, and his film is a touching story of hope, vitality and art rising from the bleakest conditions. Full Review

Ruthe Stein
June 24, 2005
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle

While the dance scenes are intoxicating, on-camera interviews with the participants are sobering. Full Review

Roger Moore
June 24, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

'Trend' or fad, Rize should endure as a piece of history. Full Review

Tom Long
June 24, 2005
Tom Long, Detroit News

Rize is actually a film about how art can be subverted and perverted by the same social and internal pressures that spawned it in the first place.

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  • Which movie is a documentary on dancing that originated in California?  Answer »
  • In the movie Envy, starring Jack Black and Ben Stiller, what was the name of the product that they spent most of the movie trying to sell?  Answer »
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