BoardChiri Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Brooklynn There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Christie Gaughan This is a outstanding film with a incredible soundtrack and cast. Derrick and sara break the divides that try to separate them and both achieve what they desire even though they come from a poverty stricken area and other people try to discourage them and their relationship. It also shows the audience to stand up to your 'friends' and not to succumb to peer pressure e.g. when derrick refused to help Kai in his gang drive by shooting. Although this film may be cheesy in the sense that they both get into their dream uni's and end up together it gives you hope that things will get better if you have a unhappy life.

Sophie Sander This is my favourite movie. It's about a girl that dances ballet but one day she loses her mother. She stops dancing and moves to her father In New York. In her new school she meets a boy that she falls in love with, he is also a dancer and that helps her to start again. Her dream is to get in to Julliard dace school, but it's a long and hard way to get there. This movie is fantastic, it's a drama whit love, hate, hip hop and a lot of dancing. Save the last dance is a movie for everybody that's interested in dancing and hip hop. I give this movie a 10, top notch! I have seen it a thousand times and I will probably see it a thousand more.

vposhell Dancing can be defined as movements done in accordance with an accompanying sound or music. Still, dancing is a limitless universal language. Being able to relate and connect to a movie requires not only a good script but a rational way to put film right into the watchers' hearts. In the movie "Save the Last Dance", literary, theatric, and cinematic techniques combine to enhance the message and understanding of the movie. Set in the city of Chicago the main character, Sara, embarks on a journey in a world completely different from the one she knew, getting back to who she is by overcoming hardship. She gives up dancing after her mother dies in a hurry to make it to Sarah's Julliard audition. The new school Sara attends is gritty and underprivileged emphasizing its inner city features. Another set is Sara's father's house, which she has to move too. It is decrepit and greatly contrasts to her previous sheltered and secure life. The tone is the story is sad and cathartic. The theme indulges in this tone because it is about following dreams and overcoming adversity. One grows to credit and trust Sara, allowing one to agree with Sara's judgments or views of others. The hip-hop club that Sara and her new friends always flee to clearly foreshadows the return to her passion for Ballet. One of the prime symbols is falling during a dance. Each time Sara falls during a dance piece a significant event occurs. As Sara dances her mother dies. As Sara trips, her anger overwhelms her dream. When Sara finally masters her dance the fact that she does not fall is significant to her growth not only as a dancer but as a person. One first meets Sara in dark clothes, which reflects her inner isolation. Also, her simple clothes suggest her "simple" lifestyle and detachment from the hard lives others live. The boys in the gritty inner city school are recognizable in their over-sized coats and baggy pants. The girls wear "bling" and flashy pants. When another troublemaker of the story enters, her makeup and clothing is dark. The acting itself it realistic and not overdone. When students share their stories about their hardships, their expressions and sometimes tears seem genuine. Costumes are kept modern for realistic purposes. Props are used minimally in this story, which reinforces the focus on the lives of the kids, thus not distracting the viewer from the messages. It is the cinematic elements that make the movie unique. Opening with eye-level angles and close ups on Sara's face, one meets Sara as she goes through a transition from security to estrangement. Dark and wintery lighting give the effect of sadness, guilt, and apprehension. The movie opens with dark blues, greys, and whites. As flashbacks of happiness occur, one notices the transition from dark to bright clothes and brighter lighting. To show where a character stands in comparison to his or her environment, medium and long shots are used often. The camera moves in a long shot when the movie watcher meets Derek, the future lover and guide to Sara. This definitely makes him stand out and highlights his interest in intelligence in contrast to his classmates. Long shots are used when one meets most of the other characters, including Malakai, the antagonist of the story. Importantly, music is greatly and effectively used. The music plays when there is sadness. Piano solos and string symphony cue when Sara is reminiscing. The music undoubtedly carries the story. It emphasizes sadness, strength, moving forward, and guilt. One major chord can pull a heartstring and such riffs and pitches effectively enhance the emotion.

Jackson Booth-Millard I had no real information about the film's story, i.e. I didn't realise it was about ballet before hip hop dancing, but it was when I saw the scene spoofed in Scary Movie 2 that I really got into it more. Basically Sara Johnson (The Bourne Trilogy and 10 Things I Hate About You's Julia Stiles) was once an aspiring ballet dancer, but her dream to become a professional was cut short by the death of her mother, and since she has moved in with her father Roy (Terry Kinney). He lives in a predominantly Black neighbourhood, and she has to be transferred to a new school where she is one of the few White students. She finds a friend with small-time ghetto girl Chenille Reynolds (The Last King of Scotland's Kerry Washington), and later she gets to see Sara's ballet ability. Later after starting a friendship with Chenille's brother Derek (Cruel Intentions' Sean Patrick Thomas), he teaches her how her ballet skills can be put to use for an audition (the one she could have had if not for her mother's death). In a really cool scene he teaches some small cool moves, like the spoof in Scary Movie 2, and as time goes by, she gains more and more hip hop moves till she has a routine for the judges. There is the small quarrel between Sara and Derek before this audition happens, but she sticks it out, they make up, and she makes a very good impression with the judges mixing ballet with a bit of hip hop. Also starring Fredro Starr as Malakai, Bianca Lawson as Nikki, Vince Green as Snookie and Garland Whitt as Kenny. Stiles and Thomas are attractive leads, the dance sequences, especially the all important audition are fun to watch, and the soundtrack (including songs from Fatman Scoop, Ice Cube and Blaqout) is very good, and not too much sentimentality to sour the film, a crowd-pleasing dance/music film. Worth watching!