Seems more concerned with pushing demographic style buttons than creating a story with any depth.
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.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Jan 12, 2001 Wide
Box Office: $90,696,166
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
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Reviews for Save the Last Dance
I like Stiles and Thomas together. I did not like the movie in which they found themselves stuck.
Packed with so many stereotypes and clichés that it strays into offensive territory.
The work of Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas elevates Save the Last Dance to a level where it is not only watchable, but moderately entertaining.
Look elsewhere for reality or good drama. Look here, however, if you're in the mood for a good heaping of fantasy and some fun.
Gives off enough energy and light that the audience wants to believe in it even if society's impacted prejudices continue to say otherwise.
This wan, formulaic teen movie ... is afraid to pump up the volume on its own interracial, hip hop Romeo and Juliet story, lest it challenge even one sedated viewer or disturb the peace.
This is a rare teen romance where the couple seems drawn together less by animal attraction than by a shared sense of openness and possibility.
It may be the latest teen flick, but Last Dance has a story and life issues and relationships with bite.
Like a series of Problem-of-the-Week TV movies crammed into a single two-hour span.
The plot is ultimately more teen drama gimmick than it is an actors' showcase or a vehicle for altruistic insight.
The disjointed plotting and afterschool-special dialogue offer scant opportunity for the charismatic duo to work up much chemistry.
The core of the movie is a disarmingly shameless lift from half the dance movies ever made.
With its themes of racial harmony and good high school kids realizing their dreams, pic avoids easy exploitation.
This movie requires suspension of disbelief that is close to complete abandonment of any sense of reality.
Interesting to check into, with well-developed characters (for the most part), some fun hip-hopping, a cute relationship and some tender moments.
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"
This week at the movies, we've got Oliver Stone paying tribute to the heroes of 9/11 ("World Trade Center," starring Nicolas Cage); two youngsters trying to start a... More...
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...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
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| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
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| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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