Save the Last Dance

Theatrical Release Date: 2001 01 12 (USA)

UPC: 097361198040

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:[Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity, Sexual Situations, Drug Content, Suitable for Teens]

Summary: In this romantic drama, two teenagers in love struggle to look past their differences. After the unexpected death of her mother, Sarah Johnson (Julia Stiles) moves to Chicago to live with her father. Knowing no one at her new school and not at home in a gritty, inner-city high school, Sarah has trouble adjusting, but she soon becomes friends with Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who has talent and street smarts but a checkered past. Sarah was an avid student of ballet before her mother's death sidelined her studies, while Derek has some serious hip-hop moves, and their mutual love of dance leads their friendship into something deeper. However, since Sarah is white and Derek is black, they have more to contend with than the average high school couple; Sarah gets static from Nikki (Bianca Lawson), Derek's former girlfriend, while Derek has to deal with his friend Malakai (Fredro Starr), who is still deep in the thug life Derek is trying to avoid. Save the Last Dance was directed by Thomas Carter, who previously examined the sociopolitical side of dancing in Swing Kids. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Drama

Features: Commentary by director Thomas Carter
The making of Save the Last Dance
The writers' story
In Setp: The Choreographers' Story
What It Takes
Save the Last Dance - A retrospective
Music video - "Crazy" by K-Ci & JoJo
2 deleted scenes
Sneak peek at Save the Last Dance 2
Save the Last Dance 2 trailer

Save the Last Dance

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 09/26/2006

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS2.0 Dolby Digital w/ 4 channels

Runtime: 112 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 --Save the Last Dance [Special Collector's Edition]
1. A Few Minor Adjustments [:29]
2. New School [8:36]
3. Meet Chenille [:11]
4. Buried Talents [3:28]
5. Stepps [4:50]
6. Dance With Me [2:13]
7. Lesson Number One [4:48]
8. Malakai Threat [5:52]
9. Dr. Reynolds in the House [:22]
10. The Ballet [11:43]
11. Getting in Shape [4:28]
12. Oil and Milk [:05]
13. Madness and Mayhem [:46]
14. Two Different Worlds [4:31]
15. A Second Chance [3:02]
16. Walk Away [:44]
17. You Can Do It [6:27]
18. Main Squeeze Night [2:47]

Andrea LeVasseur

This slick teen romance is standard formulaic fare from MTV Films with a clich? story and likable leads. A squeaky-clean tale of an interracial couple, this movie is an example of marketing to kids with a combination of pop music, dance, and romance. At least it benefits from the acting abilities of the two stars, Julia Stiles as Sara and Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek. The romance is convincing and appealing throughout their courtship of dance lessons, and that is good enough. Unfortunately, the inner city that suburban princess Sara must adjust to is laughably fabricated, like a freshly painted Disneyland version of a slum. This lightweight approach works to keep the events on the surface just enough to dish out the racial-equality message without getting too dramatic about it. Director Thomas Carter (Swing Kids) tries real hard to convey this message, especially during the inevitable dance-sequence conclusion. To drive the point home, Sara's hip-hop/ballet audition is crosscut with the gunplay of Derek's thug friend, even though he is a minor character and irrelevant to the plot at that point. Overall, Save the Last Dance offers good, fluffy entertainment for preteen audiences. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Thomas Carter  Director 
Robert W. Cort  Producer 
Mark Isham  Composer (Music Score) 
David Madden  Producer 
Duane Adler  Screenwriter 
Cheryl Edwards  Screenwriter 
Julia Stiles  Actor 
Sean Patrick Thomas  Actor 
Kerry Washington  Actor 
Fredro Starr  Actor 
Terry Kinney  Actor 
Bianca Lawson  Actor 
Vince Green  Actor 
Garland Whitt  Actor 
Elizabeth Oas  Actor 

Country: USA