Save the Last Dance (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:96
Fresh:51
Rotten:45
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: This teen romance flick feels like a predictable rehashing of other movies.
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis:
Sara's life is devoted to dance -- she wants nothing more than to make it into New York's famous Julliard School. But when tragedy strikes and she loses her mom, her hopes are dashed and she buries...
Sara's life is devoted to dance -- she wants nothing more than to make it into New York's famous Julliard School. But when tragedy strikes and she loses her mom, her hopes are dashed and she buries her dreams of ever attending the country's best dance school.
Without her Mom to support her, Sara moves to the tough streets of Chicago's South side to live with her Dad -- a down on his luck jazz musician who she barely knows. Her new school's a totally different world from the small town she grew up in, but Sara's quick comebacks and sassy attitude earn her the quick respect and friendship of straight-talking Chenille. But it's Chenille's brother, Derek, the cool and good-looking star of the school, who grabs Sara's attention. He plays it up tough, but he also has the smarts and a plan to go to medical school.
When Chenille takes Sara to Steppes, the neighborhood hang, she gets her first taste of hip-hop -- and Derek's the one to show her the moves. When they discover they share a passion for dance, they discover that there's something deeper going on -- a passion for each other. But they soon find out the hard way that they must not only overcome their own differences, but the resentment and bad blood of their friends and family. As the school year goes on, the couple finds that their affection and devotion to each other could ultimately threaten Derek's hopes for a better life and Sara's rediscovery of her dance.
Yet against all the odds they overcome the obstacles to their dreams, and discover that ultimately the only person you have to be is...yourself.
Starring: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Terry Kinney, Fredro Starr
Starring: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Terry Kinney, Fredro Starr, Kerry Washington, Bianca Lawson
Director: Thomas Carter
Director: Thomas Carter
Producer: Robert W. Cort, David Madden
Screenwriter: Duane Adler, Cheryl Edwards
Composer: Mark Isham
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Reviews for Save the Last Dance
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As teen melodrama, well, Carter's film is what it is; but for such a mainstream black-consciousness movie, at least it doesn't shy from addressing some touchy issues about masculinity, parenthood, and black attitudes to whites. Full Review |
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Likeable teen romance that overcomes its inevitable predictability thanks to its talented cast and its avoidance of both clichés and syrupy sentimentality. Full Review |
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Ballet meets hip-hop in this warmly enjoyable yet unambitious teen romance. Full Review |
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A surprisingly effective piece of work. Full Review |
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It's just a pity for the actors and the audience that the theme of conquering one's background, prejudices, and limitations has to be spelled out in block capitals. Full Review |
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Patronising hybrid of a myriad of other teen movies. Don't bother, just watch them instead. Full Review |
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N/R
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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Ultimately, this talented twosome [Stiles and Thomas] can only do so much with a script that continually lets them down at about every turn. Full Review |
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Performances throughout are solidly decent. Full Review |
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It's not courageous enough to deviate from the teen movie formula more than a smidgeon. Full Review |
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Sara's got a sense of humor about how very uncool she is, and she proves to be a game girl. Full Review |
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To the film's credit, it tries, and while it never really sings, it does deliver the dance. Full Review |
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Tries to squeeze in a few too many plot elements into too short a time. Full Review |
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Stiles and Thomas redeem this film over and over. And the dancing is fun to watch, too. Full Review |
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Carter has given us a pleasant enough, if not especially original film. Full Review |
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There are enough respectable social messages here. Full Review |
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If "Dance" stumbles into a few too many subplots and a couple of cliched characters along the way, it also makes some strong points about contemporary attitudes toward the idea of interracial romances. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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A refreshingly friendly view of a romance between people of different pigmentation, an area where more respectable pictures still wimp out. Full Review |
Latest News for Save the Last Dance
February 13, 2008:
Total Recall: It's a Dance Dance Revolution
Audiences have been historically dismissive of all the critical contempt, pushing dozens of fancy-footed extravaganzas to the upper reaches of the box-office charts.
For this... More...
July 11, 2007:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead Set to "Make It Happen" In Burlesque Flick
If you watched "Live Free or Die Hard" and thought, "Gee, what I'd really like to see is Mary Elizabeth Winstead with less clothing and more dancing," this... More...
August 09, 2006:
Critical Consensus: A Brave New "World," A "Step" Down, And No Screenings for "Pulse" and "Zoom"
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August 10, 2005:
"The Omen" Scares Up Two Stars
Not long ago we informed you that John Moore ("Flight of the Phoenix") was hired by Fox to helm their remake of "The Omen," and now comes word (from Variety)... More...
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