Jump In! (2007)

Movie Info

Glad you were able to Jump In!

Isadore “Izzy” Daniels (Corbin Bleu) is following in his father’s footsteps as a boxer.  Izzy’s neighbor Mary Thomas (Keke Palmer) and her friends are part of a competitive jump-roping team and when Izzy finds himself joining in.  Now, Izzy has to hide his new activity from his father (David Reivers) and the local bully Rodney (Patrick Johnson).  When jump-roping begins to interfere with Izzy’s life, Izzy must make a choice between his activities…or find a way to combine them.

Directed by Paul Hoen, Jump In! is a family Disney Channel Original Movie.  The film premiered on the Disney Channel on January 12, 2007.

I obviously was way past Jump In! (we never even had the Disney Channel…or cable at that).  People I work with knew Jump In!, and with the popularity of shows like High School Musical (also starring Bleu), I decided to watch it…it was pretty much as expected, but also ridiculous enough to be laughably enjoyable.

No, Rhodney…I think doing flips and just occasionally talking and not hitting is part of boxing…

The movie is melodramatic…everything is high stakes.  Being caught jump-roping will bring shame to Izzy and his family at his school, from bullies, and from his father.  It is a bit over-the-top, but it is a kids’ movie and for kids, everything is life and death.  Something like being shamed or mocked at school is life and death…and you can remember how crushing it was to have something like that happen.

For these Disney movies, you need kids with a lot of energy and charm…but not necessarily acting skill.  Corbin Bleu is a good match for that.  He’s shiny, and you can tell he’s the type of kid who would be popular.  Bleu’s father David Reivers plays his father in the film and that does help make their relationship a bit more “real”.  Keke Palmer shows a bit more range than Bleu (and too young for his character…which is a bit creepy), and she has continued to grow over the years while much of the supporting cast also were Disney and Nickelodeon regulars.  The story’s narrator is the bully Rodney played by Patrick Johnson who seems to be a bit too obsessed with Izzy.

The Hot Chili Steppers kind of forgot that this was a jump rope competition in the big dance sequence…and were disqualified

The movie is shot with pretty standard fare and a lack of style.  It is loaded with songs that were packaged as a soundtrack, and the movie feels more like as a springboard for sales more than a full fledge film.  The jump-roping is impressive, but you could also just watch videos of jump-roping to get the same effect.

Jump In! is what it is.  It isn’t for adults, but kids probably will like it.  It pretty lazy in its writing but you also cannot go expecting much.  Mostly Jump In! is probably good for nostalgia those who grew up with it, entertaining enough for younger kids, and just bland enough that people who have not seen it, won’t be irritated by it.  Jump In! is kind of like paste or filler with no substance.