Save the Last Dance (2001)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Thomas Carter

Writers (WGA):

Duane Adler (story)
Duane Adler (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The Only Person You Need To Be Is Yourself.

Plot:

A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Dancing | Ghetto | Hip Hop | Slang

Awards:

6 wins & 6 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. July 18

2:00 PM

TNT

Cast

Julia Stiles	...	Sara
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Derek
Kerry Washington	...	Chenille
Fredro Starr	...	Malakai
Terry Kinney	...	Roy
Bianca Lawson	...	Nikki
Vince Green	...	Snookie
Garland Whitt	...	Kenny
Elisabeth Oas	...	Diggy
Artel Great	...	Arvel (as Artel Jarod Walker)
Cory Stewart	...	Lip
Jennifer Anglin	...	Glynn
Dorothy Martin	...	Momma Dean
Kim Tlusty	...	Lindsay
Felicia Fields	...	Woman on Train

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

CTA Rail System, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Cort/Madden Productions

Trivia:

According to an early draft of the script, Sarah lived with her mother in Pennsylvania before moving in with her father in Baltimore. By the time the film was shot, the locations were Lemont, IL and Chicago, respectively.

Goofs:

Continuity: First scene at Steppes, when Sara and Derek are dancing, one of Nikki's friends is dancing next to them, then it cuts to her sitting with Nikki while they talk about Sara then cuts back to the dance floor where she is still dancing next to them.

Quotes:

Chenille: And this is Diggy. She thinks she's down.
Diggy: Excuse me? I am down, okay?

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: You Got F'd in the A (#8.4)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Only You

only my new favorite movie!

I just finished watching this terrific movie, I had always meant to see it but somehow never got around to it. This time when I came across it in the video store and saw that Julia Stiles was in it, I had to get it. I did not know who she was when the movie was released, but have since enjoyed her in Mona Lisa Smile and the Prince and Me and couldn't wait to see her in this film.

This was the best work I have seen her do to this point. It was so much better than I expected, based on the meager 6.1 stars it received overall on IMDb...Julia was wonderful in it, as was Sean Patrick Thomas. Their chemistry was terrific and the story was riveting and the dancing awesome (both the ballet and the dancing throughout the movie.) I don't know how much of the dancing Julia actually did, but all of it was beautifully done.

The film was sweet, touching and violent, and worked in all aspects. The rest of the casting was very good too, all the performances were terrific.

I will buy it on DVD asap...it was that good! I think it will be enjoyed by men and women, I can't wait to have my teenage son see it. Truly a must see!