SAVE THE LAST DANCE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: excessive language/street slang, thematic elements

Rated:

Stories about reaching for and obtaining your dreams have always been close to my heart. I enjoy a good film that explores loss and success through the eyes of someone struggling to find their place in the world. Save the Last Dance is no exception to the genre, and sometimes surpasses it in numerous meaningful moments.

Shortly after the terrible death of her mother in an automobile accident, Sara (Julia Stiles) is forced to move to Chicago with her formerly absentee father. Abandoning her one passion, that of ballet, she struggles to find a new interest and fit in at a mostly-black inner-city school. Her initial run-in with the class know-it-all puts her immediately at odds with Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), the older brother of her new best friend Chenille (Kerry Washington). It does not take long to break in to the hip hop society and be invited to one of the clubs downtown. Her ballet skills are of no use on the dance floor, and Derek takes her under his wing, soon discovering that her love of ballet has not faded with time. While he attempts to teach her the art of modern dance and discern her personal reasons for abandoning her chosen profession, the two become close friends.

Much to the disapproval of Derek's family and friends, it begins to develop into something more. The school wavers between being hostile and ignoring her, all but Derek's former girlfriend Nikki (Bianca Lawson), who cannot stand the thought of a "milky" coming into their lives and becoming part of the culture. Derek's friendship with troublemaking gang-banger Malakai (Fredro Starr) also comes between them, as Sara is forced to come to grips with the past, and make a choice of whether or not to pursue a career at Julliard. Unlike most films of a teenage genre, this one takes an honest look not only at racial prejudices (the black community is just as judgmental toward the inner-racial relationship as the white) but inner-city life, and the cultural problems the kids face.

Chenille is a single mom attempting to raise her child without the assistance of his father, who comes in and out of her life without assuming responsibilities. A good portion of the boys are caught up in a gang lifestyle without an alternative. It's either shoot or be shot at. None of their lives are glamorous, and the dancing scene is the only thing that gives them pleasure. It also deals with tough issues about responsibility and loss, as Sara must come to terms with her feelings of guilt over her mother's death, and form a relationship with her dad, who is for the most part responsible and supportive of her decisions, provided she stays within his reasonable set of rules. I was also pleased that there was not an abundance of sexual content. Sara and Derek do gently kiss one another in her apartment late one night, and remove his shirt, but nothing further is shown. After having her backside pinched by a boy, it's implied Chenille squeezes his crotch to prove a point. 

About half of the dancing includes men and women rubbing their bodies against one another, but it's not as hyper-sexualized as some of the stuff I have seen. Ballet performers wear skimpy, tight apparel for a performance. Flashbacks include several street side shootings, a highway accident in which a woman is killed, and a gas tank exploding, causing a car to careen into a parked vehicle. The only real problem was with the language. S**t was tacked on to almost every sentence for no reason other than to express street talk. ("Are you down with that s**t?" "Oh, I'm down with that s**t!") There's also one f-word. It seems a shame to have polluted such an interesting, inspirational little movie with so much coarse language. If it weren't for that, I would recommend it for anyone who loves hip hop and ballet.

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