Save the Last Dance

Let's get one thing straight. Teen movies are starting to get unbearable. So it is a relief when something like "Save the Last Dance" comes along and offers something up that's just a little off of redundancy. There seems to be a lot going on here, with the main characters dealing with everything from death of loved ones to single parenthood to racial issues. You don't see THAT often in teen movies! But what it really comes down to is DANCE! Julia Stiles plays a former ballet dancer whose dreams are self-imposingly dashed by a tragic event, and the rest of the movie is about her re-chasing her dream in totally different circumstances than what she's used to (mainly: being the only white girl in a rough Chicago all-black neighbourhood). The movie does touch upon a lot of issues, as previously mentioned, but none of them are explored enough to give the film a lot of substance. What does make the film somewhat enjoyable is the dance sequences and the performances. There seems to be a real chemistry between Stiles (who's great in everything she does!) and Sean Patrick Thomas, who is really talented! I've only seen him in supporting roles, but this film shows he can be a leading man. The scene stealer award goes to Kerry Washington, who is so much fun in every one of her scenes. I hope to see a lot more of her in the future. IN A NUTSHELL: It's good to see a teen film that deals with more issues than just prom dates, and it will make you think, but it's not deep enough to be more than just a "dance" movie in the same vain as "Centre Stage" and "Dirty Dancing", culminating in long dance routine by Stiles, and when the routine is over, everything is resolved. Are all the issues REALLY resolved? Only in Hollywood!! Skippy's Rating: 7/10

Unless you like cheesy MTV-style teenage movies of the ilk of Flashdance, this may not be for you. If you do, it's a well-made piece of that easily digestible junk-food genre. For me, it was interesting mostly because of the dancing (fusion of hip-hop and ballet). There's some interesting performances, even if the editing is there to show the dancefloor moves to a perfection that might not have actually been achieved by Julia Stiles. The standard boy-meets-girl, gets-her-to-realise-her-dream-as-a-dancer-stuff is the stuff large buckets of popcorn were made for . . .

Okay, so it won't bring home a little golden guy. . .it's from MTV Films for crying out loud. But who says everything has to? I will say this; this movie actually had a little more substance than what I walked in expecting. I went to the theater on opening night with 5 girlfriends expecting to hear some good music and see some good choreography and scenery of Chicago--a city I dearly love. I got all of that. But I also got a glimpse of broken homes, the dynamic between a father and daughter who don't know each other, friends who've gone by the wayside that you still don't want to let go of, I could say more. Oh, and the thing that really still pisses people off though it's 2001. . .interracial relationships. I'm not saying the plot isn't a little rehashed, but there's not a whole lot that's new out there. No, it's not a great film--I give it a B, but I'd see it again. In fact I did see it again with another set of friends on Saturday night. All in all, I saw this movie with 10 friends of varying sex, age and race and all of us liked it. I think that's a pretty good showing.

Save the Last Dance (2001) is a movie my daughter and I recently watched together on Amazon Prime. The storyline follows a young lady whose mom passes away the night of her dance audition and misses it. The daughter is sent to live with her dad and quits dancing. As she makes new friends she is inspired to dance and be happy again.

This movie is directed by Thomas Carter (Coach Carter) and stars Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate about You), Sean Patrick Thomas (Till), Kerry Washington (Scandal), Fredro Starr (Torque) and Artel Great (Dahmer).

The best part of this movie is far and away the soundtrack. The characters are fun for the most part. Julia Stiles was solid, Kerry Washington was outstanding but Sean Patrick Thomas was a bit stiff and didn't feel authentic. The movie is well paced and I enjoyed the various circumstances and ending even if it was a bit predictable.

Overall, this is an entertaining coming of age picture that isn't perfect but worth a watch. I would score this a 7/10 and recommend seeing it once.

I just finished watching this terrific movie, I had always meant to see it but somehow never got around to it. This time when I came across it in the video store and saw that Julia Stiles was in it, I had to get it. I did not know who she was when the movie was released, but have since enjoyed her in Mona Lisa Smile and the Prince and Me and couldn't wait to see her in this film.

This was the best work I have seen her do to this point. It was so much better than I expected, based on the meager 6.1 stars it received overall on IMDb...Julia was wonderful in it, as was Sean Patrick Thomas. Their chemistry was terrific and the story was riveting and the dancing awesome (both the ballet and the dancing throughout the movie.) I don't know how much of the dancing Julia actually did, but all of it was beautifully done.

The film was sweet, touching and violent, and worked in all aspects. The rest of the casting was very good too, all the performances were terrific.

I will buy it on DVD asap...it was that good! I think it will be enjoyed by men and women, I can't wait to have my teenage son see it. Truly a must see!