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Movies / On DVD / Save the Last Dance
Save the Last Dance

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Save the Last Dance (2001)

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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. [More]

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

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 26, 2006

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Save the Last Dance

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81 - 98 (sorted by date)
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Seems more concerned with pushing demographic style buttons than creating a story with any depth.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
01/11/01
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Thomas Carter's direction is flavorless.

Full Review Source: Citysearch | comment Comment
01/11/01
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Citysearch

I like Stiles and Thomas together. I did not like the movie in which they found themselves stuck.

Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
01/11/01
Steve Rhodes
Steve Rhodes
Internet Reviews

Packed with so many stereotypes and clichés that it strays into offensive territory.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
01/11/01
Pam Grady
Pam Grady
Reel.com

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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/11/01
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
01/11/01
Sherri Winston
Sherri Winston
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Gives off enough energy and light that the audience wants to believe in it even if society's impacted prejudices continue to say otherwise.

comment Comment
01/11/01
Bill Gallo
Bill Gallo
New Times

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.

comment Comment
01/11/01
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

comment Comment
01/11/01
Mark Caro
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It may be the latest teen flick, but Last Dance has a story and life issues and relationships with bite.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/11/01
Bob Longino
Bob Longino
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like a series of Problem-of-the-Week TV movies crammed into a single two-hour span.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
01/11/01
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

The plot is ultimately more teen drama gimmick than it is an actors' showcase or a vehicle for altruistic insight.

Full Review Source: SPLICEDWire | comment Comment
01/11/01
Rob Blackwelder
Rob Blackwelder
SPLICEDWire

The disjointed plotting and afterschool-special dialogue offer scant opportunity for the charismatic duo to work up much chemistry.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
01/09/01
Jessica Winter
Jessica Winter
Village Voice

The core of the movie is a disarmingly shameless lift from half the dance movies ever made.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
01/08/01
Kirk Honeycutt
Kirk Honeycutt
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

With its themes of racial harmony and good high school kids realizing their dreams, pic avoids easy exploitation.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/08/01
Robert Koehler
Robert Koehler
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A formula fish out of water, dancer flick.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Report Card | comment Comment
01/08/01
Ross Anthony
Ross Anthony
Hollywood Report Card

This movie requires suspension of disbelief that is close to complete abandonment of any sense of reality.

Full Review Source: Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies | comment Comment
01/08/01
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

Interesting to check into, with well-developed characters (for the most part), some fun hip-hopping, a cute relationship and some tender moments.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
01/08/01
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium
 
 
81 - 98 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
all

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...

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