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Save the Last Dance (2001)
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My Rating:(5.0 = *****)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references.
Release Date: January 12, 2001 Nationwide.
Movie Pics Julia Stiles as Sara
Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek Julia Stiles as Sara & Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek (Left to right) Kerry Washington as Chenille, Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek and Julia Stiles as Sara Terry Kinney as Roy and Julia Stiles as Sara
Left to right) Julia Stiles as Sara and Kerry Washington as Chenille
Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek and Vince Green as Snookie Kerry Washington as Chenille and Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek
(From Top Left)Bianca Lawson as Nikki, Kerry Washington as Chenille, Vince Green as Snookie, and ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Save The Last Dance (2001)
Main cast: Julia Stiles (Sara Johnson), Sean Patrick Thomas (Derek Reynolds), Kerry Washington (Chenille Reynolds), Fredro Starr (Malakai), and Terry Kinney (Roy Johnson)
Director: Thomas Carter
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Teen romantic drama Save The Last Dance must be commended for trying to break down the last taboo in Hollywood - interracial romance. But it also tries to be safe and ends up shortchanging its own potentials, and this include its main actors Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas.
Sara Johnson is a talented ballerina whose dreams are cut short by the death of her mother. She moves in with her father, Roy, in a rough part of town, and attends a predominantly-Black high school (Sara's White). She clashes at first with class smartypants Derek, but when she befriends Derek's sister Chenille, Derek begrudgingly teaches her how to dance the hip-hop so that she can fit into the clubs and all. (Lessons? Excuse me, we're talking about movie schools here - who goes to school to study in the movies? Hello!)
Naturally, the way they dance, you know, her squishing her tush to his crotch and all, what do you think will happen next, them being hormonally-overcharged teens and all? Subplots include Derek's friend and gangsta Malakai who has watched too many Spike Lee movies and is trying to drag Derek down with him. Oh, and there's a jealous Black ex of Derek's, and Chenille's thing with the man who made her a single mother.
But Save The Last Dance shoots itself in the foot with its timid script. Stiles and Thomas have zero chemistry, and apart from a brief scene of heavy kiss/undress, they seem more like friends than lovers with chemistry who "want to be with each other". Every Black character in this story, apart from the gang members, are saintly and so sweet that rock sugar can melt in their presence. The only memorable character is Chenille, a single mother forced to grow old before her time even as she struggles to keep a straight and happy face, and she and Sara play each other off perfectly.
There are some great hip-hop and modern ballet dances in this one, and those are great to watch. But at the end of the end, Save The Last Dance is just too safe and tame to be memorable.
Rating: 75
Romance
With her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina decimated by the accidental death of her mother, Sara Johnson (Stiles) is forced to move from her quiet Midwestern town to her father's ghetto apartment on the south side of Chicago. The stark urban environment's contrast of race and class compound Sara's loss and her misplaced guilt, which are both exacerbated by the fact that her mother had been en route to her dance performance at the time of her death. But when she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), a popular black student with a passion for hip hop and a future brighter than his troubled past, her repressed ambition and sorrow are released through a revitalized interest in the cathartic and expressive power of dance. Their friendship and mutual interest in dancing inexorably lead to a passionate romance that raises the sadly typical, bigoted resistance from Sara's white father and Derek's black friends. Widely hailed by critics for being as sophisticated and intelligent as it is viscerally passionate, SAVE THE LAST DANCE enjoyed the top of the American box office in its first weekend in release, playing to sold out shows across the country, a landslide affirmation that Sara and Derek are not as alone as they think. MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references. Release Date: January 12, 2001 Nationwide.
Cast and Credits
Starring:
Julia Stiles Sean Patrick Thomas
Bianca Lawson Fredro Starr
Kerry Washington Terry Kinney
"Vince Green"
Director: Thomas Carter
Producer: David Madden
Robert W. Cort
Screenwriter: Cheryl Edwards
Duane Adler
Tori Ann Johnson
Choreographer: Fatima
Randy Duncan
Cinematographer: Robbie Greenberg
Composer: Mark Isham
Costume Designer: Sandra Hernandez
Editor: Peter E. Berger
Production Designer: Paul Eads
Save the Last Dance
Starring: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas
Director: Thomas Carter
Genre: Drama
Year: 2001
Rating: 4 / 5
Reviewed by Guest Scribe Puff Daddy
I stopped watching "interracial relationship movies" a while ago. No true reason for stopping, although I guess the biggest reason was that my head hurt. There are just so many times that some one can allow another person to beat on his or her head with his ideas or theories without walking away with a headache. So, I just stopped watching them. I guess the only reason that I can give you for watching Save the Last Dance is the fact that Julia Stiles is extremely hot. Well, that and the fact that I'm addicted to teen pulp movies, as the curator of this site can attest. However, the movie is so much more than that. Save the Last Dance is a delightful portrayal of an interracial relationship for what it truly is a relationship.
To discuss the plot of the movie is to trivialize the movie. The plot is as simple as any other love story. However, this is a movie review, and that is what movie reviews do. So, let's get this over with. Sara Johnson, played by the aforementioned "hot" Stiles, has just moved to the South Side of Chicago to stay with her father after the death of her mother in a car accident. Obviously, Sara is struggling with the death of her mother; however, it is only intensified by the guilt that her mother was driving to Sara's dance tryout for The Juliard School of Dance, almost at the same time that Sara falters in her dance routine. In Chicago, Sara is befriended by Chenille Reynolds (Kerry Washington), and through this new friendship meets Chenille's brother Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas). Derek is struggling to distance himself from a troubled past that includes run-ins with the law, while staying true to himself and his neighborhood. In particular, Derek has to find a place for his childhood friend Malakai.
However, it is this simple, traditional plot that empowers the movie. No longer is the viewer told to focus on the fact that this is an "interracial relationship;" the viewer is allowed to absorb the characters as a whole. The audience is allowed to make decisions on to what they want to focus from the character. Both Sara and Derek develop into these full characters with a host of fears, loves, and passions. Does the viewer focus on Sara's need to find reconciliation about her mother's death? Or is the need to forgive her father for leaving her and her Mom for his music more important? Can Derek make it into Georgetown? Or is he going to fall back into the tempestuous waves of destruction of his past? This character development empowers the movie past the stereotypical "interracial movie;" however, the audience is allowed to also delve into this subject matter. Anyone who has ever been in an interracial relationship can appreciate the humor and frustration of the Sara and Derek "bus experience."
All in all, Save the Last Dance is a winner. It offers developed and interesting characters, humor, an enjoyable story and a unique look into an interracial relationship - the relationship itself. It offers more than just politically correct drivel. It offers hope that as a society we are growing in closer to a race-blinded society. Just in the simple fact that Save the Last Dance does not label itself an "interracial movie" makes it one of the best.
Cast:
Julia Stiles.......... Sara Johnson
Sean Patrick Thomas.......... Derek Reynolds
Certification: Rated PG-13 for violence.
Running Time: 112 minutes.
Save The Last Dance
Paramount Pictures
Release Date: January 12, 2000
MPAA Rating: 'PG-13' for
violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references
THE ONLY PERSON YOU NEED TO BE IS YOURSELF.
They come from two different worlds, two different cultures.
Yet for all their differences, they share one fervent passion - dance!
Sara (Julia Stiles), who comes from a middle-class, small-town environment, dreams of devoting her life to ballet. As the crown prince of a local music club, Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), from inner-city Chicago, dances to a different beat- the rhythmic pulse of hip-hop.
When they discover they share a love of dance, they also discover a passion for each other. Now, these two young people must overcome not only their differences but also the opposition of their friends and families if their romance is going to survive.
Echoing both "Saturday Night Fever" and "Dirty Dancing," "Save the Last Dance" is a romantic drama set in the gritty world of urban America. Sara (Julia Stiles) is a white, middle- class, suburban teen who sparks a clash of cultures, both ethnic and artistic, when she enrolls in a predominantly black Chicago high school following her mother's death.
Growing up in a small town in Illinois, Sara loves ballet and dreams of going to Juilliard. When her mother dies in a car crash, however, she abandons her hopes and joins her long-absent father, Roy (Terry Kinney), a musician who lives in Chicago's South Side. There, she begins classes at her new school, an urban campus vastly different, both racially and culturally, from anything she's experienced before.
Still struggling with the loss of her mother, she finds solace when she is befriended by Chenille (Kerry Washington), a black unwed teenage mother whose younger brother is the handsome and gifted Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas). One of school's most popular students and the crown prince of a local hip-hop hangout called the Stepps Club, Derek guides Sara in the culture of hip-hop. And dance leads to romance.
Sara's father, however, can't accept his daughter's relationship with her black classmate, which the school's black women, particularly Nikki (Bianca Lawson), Derek's old flame, also resent. Derek also faces opposition to his new romance, particularly from his boyhood friend, Malakai (Fredro Starr), a violent gangbanger who is afraid he will lose his friendship with Derek. As the school year progresses, the couple finds that their affection and devotion for each other could ultimately threaten Derek's hopes for a better life and Sara's rediscovery of her dreams.
The Main Cast
Sara................................... JULIA STILES
Derek.................................. SEAN PATRICK THOMAS
Roy.................................... TERRY KINNEY
Malakai................................ FREDRO STARR
Nikki.................................. BIANCA LAWSON
Chenille............................... KERRY WASHINGTON
Directed by............................ THOMAS CARTER
Release Date: January 12th, 2001 (moved back a few months from August, 2000)
Video Release: June 19th, 2001
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence, sexual content, language, and brief drug references)
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Vince Green, Terry Kinney, Bianca Lawson, Marcello Robinson, Fredro Starr, Kerry Washington, Garland Whitt
Director: Thomas Carter (Metro, Swing Kids)
Screenwriters: Duane Adler (debut), Cheryl Edwards (debut; next up is Against the Ropes)
Premise: A girl (Stiles) from a small Midwestern town is moved to the south side of Chicago when her mother dies in a car accident, and she has to live with her father. Starting over at a new high school, she soon falls for an African-American teenager (Thomas) with a less than idyllic past. They share a love for dance (ballet and hip hop respectively) and together they tackle the problems that go with an interracial relationship...
Filming: Production on this movie started on November 22nd, 1999 in Chicago, and wrapped in late February, 2000.
Genres: Musical, Romance, Teen
Screenwriter Interview: CreativeScreenwriting.com
Official Site: SavetheLastDance.com
Also at Theaters: January 2001
Input about Upcomingmovies.com, or any movie covered here, is encouraged. Just e-mail Greg Dean Schmitz at greg@upcomingmovies.com. Please note that all release dates are subject to change.
 The Trackes
1. Ballad Of Fire Starr (Theme From "Save The Last Dance") - Fredro Starr
2. You - Lucy Pearl/Q-Tip/Snoop Dogg
3. Bonafide - X-2-C
4. Crazy - K-Ci and JoJo
5. You Make Me Sick - Pink
6. U Know What's Up - Donell Jones
7. Move It Slow - Kevon Edmonds
8. Murder She Wrote - Chaka Demus and Pliers
9. Breathe And Stop - Q-Tip
10. You Can Do It - Ice Cube/Mack 10/Ms. Toi
11. My Window - Soulbone
12. Only You - 112/The Notorious B.I.G.
13. Get It On Tonite - Montell Jordan
14. All Or Nothing - Athena Cage
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Julia Stiles - Biography With a number of high-profile projects, a variety of magazine covers, and a spot on Teen People's 1999 The 21 Hottest Stars Under 21 list under her belt, actress Julia Stiles has come a remarkably long way in a very short time. Born March 28, 1981, in New York City, Stiles was interested in performing from a very young age. When she was 11 years old, she wrote a letter to a Manhattan theater director asking to be cast in a production, and was soon acting onstage in avant-garde plays at both the La Mama and Kitchen Theaters. In 1996, Stiles made her film debut with a small part in I Love You, I Love You Not and, the following year, had her television debut in the Oprah Winfrey Presents: Before Women Had Wings, in which she played an abused child. The same year, she made a brief appearance as Harrison Ford's daughter in The Devil's Own and followed this with roles in two 1998 films, Wide Awake and the Sundance entry Wicked.
1999 proved to be Stiles' breakthrough year, as she played a prominent part in the television miniseries The '60s and the lead role in 10 Things I Hate About You, the latest film to mine gold and product endorsements out of William Shakespeare. The film was a hit and Stiles was soon being heralded as one of the Hottest Young Things of her generation. With her name attached to a number of future projects, it seemed that Stiles would indeed have success in living up to this label. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide
Julia Stiles - Filmography
Actor
The Business of Strangers (2001)
O (2001)
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Down to You (2000)
Hamlet (2000)
State and Main (2000)
The '60s (1999)
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Wicked (1998)
Wide Awake (1998)
I Love You, I Love You Not (1996)
Sean Patrick Thomas - Biography A talented actor who began to win due notice in the late '90s, Sean Patrick Thomas broke through to mainstream audiences with winning turns in such films as Cruel Intentions (1999) and Save the Last Dance (2001). The son of immigrants from Guyana, Thomas was born in Wilmington, DE, in 1970. While attending the University of Virginia, where he studied English and planned to become a lawyer, Thomas decided to pursue a career in acting after auditioning for a student production of Lorraine Hansberry's \+A Raisin in the Sun.
Thomas broke into film with small roles in productions that included Courage Under Fire (1996), Conspiracy Theory (1997), and Can't Hardly Wait (1998). In 1996, he further added to his acting credentials by earning an M.A. in drama from New York University. Relative fame and even a blush of notoriety greeted the actor in 1999, with a pivotal role in Cruel Intentions, Roger Kumble's free and loose adaptation of Choderlos De Laclos' Les Liaisons Dangereuses. Co-starring alongside alpha-teens Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, and Ryan Phillippe in the torrid tale of lust, betrayal, and negligent parenting on Manhattan's Upper East Side, Thomas earned (literal) exposure as the cello teacher/illicit lover of one of the film's principle characters.
Even greater exposure followed for Thomas the subsequent year, when he was cast in a substantial role as Detective Temple Page on the critically acclaimed TV series The District. Riding high, he then won his first starring role on the big screen in Save the Last Dance (2001), an interracial love story set in Chicago's South Side that featured him as a black high school student in love with a white classmate (Julia Stiles). Although the film earned mixed reviews, it found an appreciative audience, and with it, a growing fan base for the young actor. ~ Rebecca Flint, All Movie Guide
Sean Patrick Thomas - Filmography
Actor
Halloween: The Homecoming (2002)
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Wes Craven Presents: Dracula 2000 (2000)
Cruel Intentions (1999)
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