Save the Last Dance is about a white Midwestern girl named Sara Johnson. She has spent her entire life training for a career in ballet, but, when her mother dies in a car accident on the day of her unsuccessful audition for Julliard, she gives it all up.
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She is then forced to move to Chicago ghetto, to live with her father, who she has not seen for a long time. She gets transferred to a black high school where she is one of the few white girls there. Her life takes a turn for the better when she befriends Chenille, a teenage mother who's intelligent brother Derek, later becomes Sara's boyfriend. Derek helps Sara revive her interest in ballet. In the end Derek is faced with a decision of going to a gang battle with his friend Malaki or being there for Sara at her second chance audition for Juliard.
The review of this Movie prepared by Keesha Lachaud
Sarah Johnson is a ballet dancer whose biggest dream is to get into Julliard (dance school), but her mother is killed in a car accident. She then has to move to a ghetto town to live with her father, Roy, who she has barely ever seen. She stops dancing altogether.
Sarah's new friend Chenile invites her to go to a dance club. When she gets there she finds out that they don't dance like she has ever seen. She dances with Derek (Thomas) and is embarrassed because she does not know how to dance. Derek tells her that if she wants he will teach her some steps (dance moves) and she agrees. Derek encourages Sarah to start ballet again. So she starts taking the classes again. Eventually they becone a couple, but not every one is happy about this. Derek's ex gets jealous and they get into a fight.
When Sarah and Chenile are at the doctors office Chenile says some things that upsets Sarah, so Sarah breaks it off with Derek. Derek is very upset and joins back with his old crew. Sarah is so depressed about her and Derek not being together any more, on the night she was supposed to audition for Julliard again she doesn't think she can so it. Derek is supposed to go with his friends on a shoot out and when he realizes how much he needs Sarah he bails. While she is starting to audition for Julliard Derek is running as fast as he can to try to get there. At first when he isn't there she starts to mess up because she has no confidence. When Derek gets there they make up really fast and he gives her the confidence she needs to dance. They all love her dance and she is accepted intp Julliard officially. That night they go to "Steps" (the dancing club) and do the dance they were working on before they broke up. Sarah and Chenile also make up that night.
The review of this Movie prepared by Brittney
Sara is a small-town girl with a big dream, to become a world-class ballerina. However, when her mother dies in a car accident she is forced to move in with her father in Chicago. She is one of few white people in her neighborhood. She feels very alone until she becomes friends with Chenille and her cute brother, Derek whose shared love for dance leads to romance. But as their relationship grows, so does the opposition from their family and friends.
The review of this Movie prepared by Laura Rash
Sara Johnson was a talented ballerina aspiring to attend Julliard, until her mother is killed on the way to Sara's audition. Sara is forced to move to the Chicago's South Side with a dad she hardly knows and attends a school very different to what she's used to, causing Sara to feel alienated and alone. She befriends a fellow student, Chenille, and eventually starts dating her brother. Although Sara falls in love, she must deal with the fact that most people don't approve of her interracial relationship. She begins to question the relationship herself until she discovers something about herself that she never would have otherwise.
The review of this Movie prepared by Lauren Socha
Sarah, a small town girl, is almost a world-class ballerina. Her mother dies and she has to move with her father in Chicago. She is one of the few white people at her school. She meets Derek. Derek finally gets her to go back to be a ballerina. Through all of there hard struggles it all works out in the end.
The review of this Movie prepared by Samantha Dunaway
This film was heavily criticized simply for being produced by MTV. Okay, so it's no classic, but it is a motivatioal movie that indicates, unlike many modern day movies, that racial and social prejudice is still very dominant in society. With some modern music, and an eclectic mix of both hip-hop and classical, it crosses boundaries which are usually avoided. Racial tension is depicted, as well as tinges of the underworld shining through. A modern day feel good movie that is on more than just a superficial level.
The review of this Movie prepared by james kennaby
in this movie Sara[Julia stiles] is faced with many descions. Most of which are overcome by help of derick [sean patrick thomas] who she is slowly falling for. eventually the two of them have a romantic relationship
where the break up because sara fights a girl who likes derick after she played him and nikki can't stand sara all up in her ex-man. anyways when sara and derick realize that they need each other for love and support they become closer and have a relationship that is more involved well so we hope. hopefully there will be a sequel to tis movie and we can all see what happened with everyone including malaki, derick's gangster friend.
The review of this Movie prepared by Sarah
This movie is about a teenage white girl (Stiles) that moves from a small town to Chicago after her mother dies to live with her dad. The neighborhood is predominatley black and so is the school, where she meets and later falls in love with a black guy (Thomas). The interracial concept makes things difficult for them, and for society. He teachers her some dance moves in hip-hop and she learns to follow her dreams again, by reauditioning for Julliard.
The review of this Movie prepared by Sarah
Save the Last Dance throws the standard for dance movies out of the window. It combines classic themes (like the equality of the races) and newer ideals to create a masterpiece.Add the great soundtrack and great acting, and you've got a great movie!
Sara is a dancer-or was. Her mother died in a tragic accident coming to her audition. Sara's feelings of guilt and sadness are obvious in the opening scene, when she is riding on the train to go live with her father.
On the way, she talks to a friendly black lady. This part is very significant because she doesn't yet realize that the area her father lives in is predominantly black.
When Sara arrives, she greets her father dryly (obviously, the two weren't very close), listens to the rules, and goes to bed.
The next day at school, Sara gets a shock when she arrives-she is one of the only white students.Not knowing what to do, Sara sits with some white people, but finds them to be stuffy and boring. In her first class, she has an argument with a black student named Derek(Sean Partick Thomas) over a book. Later, antoher student gives her some advice about being street-smart. She discovers that the student she argued with is the other student's brother.
Chenille,(the advice girl), becomes Sara's close friend, and Sara begins to gradually adjust to life in a dangerous neighborhood.but she knew that she would eventually have to conquer her grief, and she didn't know how.
She falls in love with Derek, who, in spite of a sort of rough exterior, is very well-educated. he wants to be a doctor, and gets accepted into a great school. But his friend Malakai (Fredro Starr) is not so lucky. he doesn't want to work hard-he wants to preserve his honor among the gangs of the neighborhood. He believes that he couldn't ever be anything-but Derek knows differently. Derek knows that Malakai could be something great, he just doesn't want to be.
Then, hardship sets in. Sara comes between Malakai and Derek without meaning to. Malakai questions Derek's loyalty to him. Derek tries to reason with him, but Malakai refuses to listen. He confronts Sara, saying that her and Derek dancing would never look as great at Derek and Nikki (Derek's black ex) dancing. This gets to Sara for many different reasons-among them, the fact that she loves Derek, and the fact that she and Nikki had gotten into a fight earlier.
This movie is truly a gem- it sparkles with romance, shines with meaning, and radiates intelligence. One of the best ever made-so I won't give it away! Have fun!
Person1
The review of this Movie prepared by Person1
This movie is a very romeo-julietesque themed romantic peice. It gave the audience the feeling that you can achieve anything you want no matter how far fetched it seems.
The review of this Movie prepared by NATALIE-NICOLE
A young teenage ballet dancer's mom dies in a car accident while rushing to see her daughter audition for Julliard. She moves to New York to live with her dad and learns that she is one of the very few white people that live in that town. She befriends a girl and her brother and he teachers how to dance hip hop style so she can dance with their friends at a local club, plus he helps her audition for Julliard again.
The review of this Movie prepared by Diane
