TACKLING THE LIST: SAVE THE Last DANCE

The next film I watched from my bucket list challenge was Save the Last Dance (2001) starring Julia Stiles. Now I didn’t know what to expect going into this film, all I knew was it was about dancing; it turned out to be considerably deeper than that.

The film begins with a montage of Sara (Stiles) on a train to Chicago and flashbacks of her frantically trying to get her mother to attend her Julliard ballet audition. It seemed pretty standard, until tragedy struck, her mother’s car was hit by a truck and she sadly passed away, causing Sara to go live with her dad in Chicago. This sets up Sara’s internal battle about dance; she believes her ballet is to blame for her mother’s death.

One of the main focal points for the film is inter-racial relationships, Sara attends a majority black high school and is exposed to a whole new norm. The film includes a number of racial stereotypes with gang violence and teenage pregnancy, but it does so in a way that is not inherently racist.

The character Chenille befriends Sara and takes her under her wing as sorts. Early on we learn she is a teenage mother, but rather than portraying her in a bad light, the film shows her as responsible for her child, while still being able to live her life. Sara strikes up a relationship with Chenille's brother Derek who teaches her to loosen up, learning hip hop while also encouraging her to go back ballet.

Sara and Derek's relationship faces challenges, the film shows how an inter-racial relationship can be judged by both white and black communities. Derek is shown with high aspirations, getting into medical school, despite coming from a troubled past with his friends who are stuck in a gang war. Predictably, the couple have troubles, but with some wise words from Chenille it is all worked out in the end, with Derek escaping the life of his friends and Sara getting her dream, albeit the ending was very abrupt and underplayed.

In the words of Empire, “while the performances are hip, and the mainly black high school is refreshingly clear of the guns 'n' gangs clichés, the plot is a hybrid of every crappy teen-dance-romance ever made."

Overall, the film was enjoyable but relatively predictable at times. It is clearly the predecessor to the Step Up franchise, but I found Step Up much more entertaining. Basically, it’s a good, easy film to watch, but it wouldn't be my first choice when I’m bored.