Light It Up

Baltimore Sun Milton Kent

Much of Light It Up has a familiar feel. But there are enough redeeming insights to make the time you spend at this school worthwhile.

Philadelphia Inquirer Phoebe Flowers

Heartbreaking and sometimes dazzlingly effective, the film still has flaws -- most of them in a too-often-maudlin script.

Chicago Tribune Barbara Shulgasser

This is a good-hearted movie that unfortunately is wildly implausible and makes no sense.

Miami Herald Phoebe Flowers

The protagonists of Light It Up seem strangely tender and vulnerable, and the movie, if heavy-handed at times, does a remarkable job of making their plight moving.

San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle

At all times, the audience believes that it's watching something that really could happen.

USA Today Staff [Not Credited]

A tough little hostage thriller with crackling dialogue, surprising intelligence and an emotional wallop.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

It has moments of effectiveness, some of the performances -- especially Whitaker and Robert Ri'chard -- are moving.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

Light It Up isn't a great movie, but it's a cut above most so-called urban thrillers.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

If I can't quite recommend the movie, it's because so much of the plot is on autopilot. The dialogue spells out too much that doesn't need to be said.

Film.com Tom Keogh

Look to the cast as the best reason to see this film.

LA Weekly Nicole Campos

Little more than a movie of the week with slick visuals and an amped soundtrack.

Village Voice Gary Dauphin

Unexpectedly satisfying feel-good agitprop.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

A laughably disconnected hostage drama that rails against the perceived nightmare of inner-city public schools.

Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum

The passionate and carnivalesque sense of politics reminded me at times of "Dog Day Afternoon," but despite the absence of cynicism this is a 90s story in every sense of the word

Los Angeles Times Gene Seymour

A hostage drama, cliches intact, is what we get.

Dallas Observer David Ehrenstein

The real find-- is Rosario Dawson, who has appeared to good effect in previous smaller roles ("Kids," "He Got Game") and just about walks off with the movie.

TV Guide Ken Fox

It's a bit of 60s idealism wedged in what basically looks like a hip-hop music video.

Slate Eliza Truitt

Singer Usher Raymond earns praise as the leader of the group, but the rest of the cast goes largely unnoticed.

The New York Times Lawrence Van Gelder

Turns out to be a pretentiously righteous drama that drowns any claim to serious attention in a sea of superficial characters.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Benefits from affecting performances from a gifted cast headed by R&B heartthrob Usher Raymond.

Variety Robert Koehler

Never quite catches fire in its too-deliberate attempt to appeal to all ages and all tastes.

New York Post Lou Lumenick

Light It Up would be a strong candidate for the year's most irresponsible movie - if it were remotely believable.

TNT RoughCut Matt Kelsey

Would have been better suited as a television movie of the week.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

The story is irresponsible and the filmmaking is awful.

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

A shovelful of silly manure from the get-go.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

It's a hockey affair at the best of times.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

As an actor, Raymond is whiny and annoying, but not nearly so much as the film.