Rarely does a film manage to straddle the thin line between corny and sentimental as well as the likeable new movie, Save the Last Dance.
A teenage drama which adults will also enjoy, Save the Last Dance offers many deep-felt emotions behind a light-hearted premise.
Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You) plays Sara, a talented ballerina, who sees her dreams shattered when her mother dies in a horrible car crash.
Following this tragedy, Sara must pack her bags and move in with her estranged father, a jazz musician who lives in a run-down apartment in Chicago's south side. As one of the few white students at her new school, Sara feels hopelessly out of place.
She quickly meets Chenille (Kerry Washington), a friendly, sassy girl who teaches her the ins and outs of the neighborhood. However, it is Chenille's brother, Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who really makes the biggest impact on Sara.
But more on that later.
With the help of Chenille and Derek, Sara learns how to fit into her new surroundings. But despite having made friends, she's still a bit awkward, especially when it comes to getting out on the dance floor at the hot clubs. Always one to help out, Derek begins teaching Sara how to dance hip-hop in his free time.
The dance scenes in the film are wonderful, and Stiles and Thomas have an intense and very real chemistry. Naturally, their closeness on the dance floor translates into romance. Soon Sara -- who has been emotionally shut off since her mom's death -- begins falling in love with Derek.
And who came blame her?
He's pretty much the perfect man: gorgeous, brilliant (planning to be a doctor, no less), talented, generous ... in short, the kind of guy who mostly exists in the movies.
The two forge a tender relationship which just barely scrapes by without being cheesy.
Grade: B+
(PG-13, 1 hour, 53 minutes)
