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Cast
Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles)
Derek Reynolds (Sean Patrick Thomas)
Roy (Terry Kinney)
Chenille Reynolds (Kerry Washington)
Malakai (Fredo Starr)
Directed by Thomas Carter Written by Duane Alder and Cheryl
Edwards
Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief
drug references Running Time: 113 minutes Distributed by Paramount
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Save
the Last Dance is a different type of dance-romance film that
ends up flaky at times. Sara (Stiles) is a simple white teenager
that is determined to get into Julliard (top notch ballet
school). Her dreams are cut short when her mother fatally
dies in a car accident. Sara quits ballet and moves to south
side Chicago with her once-caring father (Kinney). Sara has
to go to an all black high school and there is where she meets
the interesting Derek (Thomas). Derek helps introduce Sara
to a hip-hop club called Stepps, to where he is a natural
dance floor talent. The two begin practicing dance together,
with Derek showing Sara hip hop moves. Problems arise as the
two start a close relationship with one another. There is
the pressure of everyone criticizing Derek and Sara because
of each’s skin color. The two come to a crossroad of making
decisions to change their lives and restore their futures.
Save the Last Dance is an okay film that I thought could have
been reorganized and cut to make it a lot better. However,
I believe that all teenagers should see this film and that
the majority of them will like it.
Duane
Alder and Cheryl Edwards’ script for the film has two good
lead characters, but fizzles in everything outside of their
relationship. The interracial relationship stands true to
the film’s theory of not just judging people because of their
skin color, but by their love and character. I really liked
this concept in the film, but the surroundings around it I
found very stereotypical. Examples are the supporting characters,
like Malakai (Starr), who is Derek’s gangster friend. This
character is hotheaded, egotistical, and violent, he even
beats up girls. Malakai is a big fat stereotype for a gangster
with no depth whatsoever. There are way too many complications
for the characters to handle, and even some of them don’t
get resolved. An example is when Sara gets into a fight with
another girl, and the girl says to Sara, “It isn’t over.”
The girl never resurfaces in the film after this line. Overall,
I liked the ideas, the romance and dance metaphor, but I didn’t
like some of the characters or their relations.
Thomas
Carter directs the film typically for the most part, but not
as brightly as most teenage movies. Most of all the recent
teenage films like She’s All That, Boys and Girls, etc. have
been shot in very bright colors with a lot of lighting filling
the actors’ faces. There are some dark moments in this film
and Carter doesn’t let the moments slide into the genre cliché
of happiness. He uses standard lighting and has a lot of the
scenes surround by nighttime in Southside Chicago. Carter
captures the hip-hop atmosphere of the club Stepps and the
seriously toned ballet auditions. The director doesn’t let
the film drag too much and it does end unpredictable, even
though the last few scenes are cheesy.
Julia
Stiles is a really good actress that should be a star in a
couple of years. She adds another respectable performance
to her resume as the young dancer Sara. Sean Patrick Thomas
turns in a good performance that is also balanced as Derek.
Terry Kinney does what he can with his small role as Sara’s
father. Outside of these performances resides a very overdone
and typical performance by Fredo Starr as Malaki. I really
didn’t like Starr’s character in this film and the “to over
the top” performance by the actor only brings the character
down more.
Save the Last Dance will be a crowd pleaser for young teenagers.
It is one of the better teenage films to come out in the last
few-trend years of the genre. However, I recommend another
dance-romance film called Center Stage slightly over this
one.
Report
Card Grade: C
Beastman’s
Movie Reviews
Copyright, 2001 Joseph C. Tucker
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