Save the Last Dance 2

My daughter and I loved Save the Last Dance 1 (one of our favorite movies). When we saw there was a second one, we were so excited. We watched the movie through it's entirety, but at the end of the movie we were both very disappointed in the movie. The movie itself was good - but just knowing that it was a continuation of Sara's life, is what upset us over the movie. None of the original cast was in the second one (no one can take Julia Stiles place in that movie) and just the fact that everything that Sara and Derek went through in the first one just to be together - "they" decided to take a break from each other and date other people. The second one was a big let down. If the second one would have been about someone else's life - it would have been a great movie - on it's own.

The continuation of Sara's life after the events from the first movie is presented in this sequel, together with the new challenges that she must face in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming Prima-Ballerina. The exaggerated pretensions of her famous teacher consume most of her time, but the new friends she makes also request her presence in the hip-hop world, so she'll soon find herself in the situation of choosing between her dream and her love.

Although it sounded like a good idea to continue what happens in the first installment, this movie begins to commit mistakes even from the beginning, by choosing different actors. It's not necessarily something dramatic, but it will inevitable alter the perception of the viewer, especially if he has seen the first one first. Furthermore, the characters which are superficially presented (for some of them you might even wonder why are they even present in the movie) participate in a series of even more predictable events (comparing to its predecessor) which ultimately lead to an unsatisfying and expected finale.

It leaves the impression that it wasn't well thought, written or even produced. Everything seems rushed, superficial, put into play just to be there. It also decides to present much less sequences of hip-hop or dance in detriment of the "struggles" of ballet, which isn't impressive, to say the least. The good part is the performance of the actors which truly had to struggle with such bad dialogue and plot, but somehow managed to steal a couple of smiles and even a bit of laughter.

I wanted and hoped for this movie to be good, but it ended up in a very bad position, the one of the sequels which shouldn't have existed in the first place. It's not such a bad movie, but it disappoints from almost every point of view, making you wish it shouldn't have been made.

Sara (Izabella Miko) joins Julliard in New York to fulfill hers and her mother dream and become the prima ballerina of the school. She befriends her roommate Zoe (Aubrey Dollar) and Miles (Columbus Short), who gives classes of hip-hop. She has ballet classes with the rigid and famous Monique Delacroix (Jacqueline Bisset) that she idolizes and Monique requires full commitment, discipline and hard work from her students. When Miles, who is a composer that researches sounds, invites Sara to help him in the dance choreography of his music, Sara's passion for hip- hop arises and she falls in love for Miles. When she is assigned to perform Giselle in an important event, she feels divided between the technique of the ballet and the creative work offered by Miles.

"Save the Last Dance 2" is a messy romance, full of incoherencies. For example, Sara's dream has always been to join Julliard and become the prima ballerina. Her mother died while driving to see her audition. However, when she has just accomplished success and recognition, she concludes that ballet is a mechanical repetition of steps and movements and she throws her promising career in the garbage in an absurd impulse. The relationship between Miles and Monique is ridiculous. I could list many other flaws in the story, but "Save the Last Dance 2" is also pleasant and entertaining if the viewer does not think much about the plot. Last but not the least, Izabella Miko and the dance choreography make it worth. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "No Balanço do Amor 2" ("In the Swing of Love 2")

This wasn't too bad a movie. It was basically about following your dreams and dealing with adversity along the way. Although I had basically seen the movie before with different titles (if you get my meaning), I thought the movie was good. Izabella Miko was good in the lead role as she performed the dance scenes well. Those scenes, by the way, were spectacular! (especially the ballet scenes and the part at a night club) While the themes of the movie were familiar, I found this movie to be refreshing and a good way to spend less than an hour and a half. I would recommend it.

** 1/2 out of ****

The biggest problem with this film is the total lack of resonance with Save the Last Dance 1. As a stand-alone it is no worse than any other average dance movie I have seen. It lacks emotional connection but not sure if it is the script or the lead female actor.