DVD Review: Save the Last Dance
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this movie has strong language, and the soundtrack lyrics have even stronger language, including the "N" word. Chenille has an out of wedlock child (and a difficult relationship with the child's father). Derek has to decide whether his loyalty to an old friend (and his sense of guilt at the friend's having taken the rap for them both) means that he must go along with him when he plans to shoot someone. Characters object to the interracial romance, mostly because they are jealous. The characters buy fake IDs so they can go to a club that serves liquor, and they drink and smoke.
- Families can talk about the choices Sara and Derek must face. Sara blames herself for her mother's death. How does she overcome that feeling and allow herself to take the risk of auditioning again? How do Derek and Sara get into trouble by not being honest with each other about what is bothering them? How do they sort through their loyalties, Derek to his friend Malakai (Fredro Starr) and Sara to Chenille? Malakai tells Derek, "You act like you don't know who you are anymore." How do Sara and Derek decide who they are? Where do they find their support?
SAVE THE LAST DANCE centers on Sara Johnson (Julia Stiles), a ballet dancer who is nervous about her big audition for Julliard. Her mother promises to be there, but she is killed in a car crash on the way to the theater. Sara moves from the suburbs to live with her dad (Terry Kinney) in a tiny apartment in Chicago's inner city. Her new high school has metal detectors, and almost all of the students are black. She's befriended by Chenille (Kerry Washington), whose brother Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas) is a smart kid torn between his old friends who are increasingly involved in dangerous activities, and his ambitions to go to medical school. Chenille brings Sara to a dance club and Derek teaches Sara a little about hip hop. They become friends, then romantically involved. He finds out about her passion for ballet, and urges her to apply to Julliard again. Various complications ensue, and Sara, Chenille, and Derek have to confront their fears and think carefully about loyalty and trust. Ultimately, what Sara learns from Derek in dance and in life, helps her to follow her dream.
Save the Last Danceis a formulaic coming of age/teen romance with an MTV spin (MTV co-produced the movie). While the script is below average, even by the low standards of this genre, its performers are attractive and sincere (Kerry Washington is particularly appealing) and most teens are still so new to this category of film that it may not seem clichéd to them.
This movie requires suspension of disbelief that is close to complete abandonment of any sense of reality -- characters who live in the poorest circumstances seem to have all the money they need to buy fake IDs or expensive tickets. Students who get good grades never seem to do any homework or have any books in their backpacks. A teenager with a baby never has a problem with child care. Still, no one goes to this movie to gain great insights about the human condition. It is nowhere near Grease or Flashdance in style, soundtrack, or dance, but it may appeal to teens who see it as one big music video.
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