Save the Last Dance

PG-13

Released Jan 12, 2001

1 hr. 48 min.

Romance

Comedy

Drama

List

54%

100 Reviews

Tomatometer

59%

250,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Sara (Julia Stiles) is moved from a small Midwestern town to the south side of Chicago when her mother dies in a car accident, and must live with her father. She soon falls for an African American teenager (Sean Patrick Thomas) at her new high school and he has less than an idyllic past. They share a love for dance (ballet and hip hop respectively) and together they tackle the problems that go with an interracial relationship.

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Critics Consensus

This teen romance flick feels like a predictable rehashing of other movies.

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SkyRo P

I'm not sure why this movie got a rotten score in the critics and the public did not like it because I feel like this is one of those classic films that grows on you in time I thoroughly enjoyed this film completely 100%, there was nothing about this film that I did not like, I felt like sometimes it could've been slow paced, but it definitely built up and gave you everything that you needed beginning to end So I would definitely give this 100% a chance watch this definitely

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/07/24

Full Review

Dorie K

I saw this movie when it first came out, and recently read an article interviewing Julia Stiles about the role. She said she had some dance background before being cast, and spent weeks or months in dance training to prepare for the role. I enjoyed the movie and appreciated the effort she put in, but watching the clip of her character's Julliard audition I thought some of her movements were mechanical. People hoping to attend Julliard have a talent for dance or a musical instrument, and have dedicated themselves for years to studying and honing their craft. An actor cannot replicate the exceptional skill needed for admission to Julliard unless perhaps they have that taker themselves. For trained dancers the movements flow naturally, but Styles' audition sequence looked mechanical. She did as well as she could as an actress who had trained for weeks or months but of course she was not going to look convincing there. It's not her fault - the directors should have cast an actual dancer for the scene.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/16/23

Full Review

Isaac L

Unsurprisingly for a 2001 film, the plot is shallow and formulaic. Worse still it relies on tired and laughable tropes intended to be sold as social consciousness. Very out of touch writers clearly pandering to a certain demographic's fetish for unrealistic and stereotypical fantasies

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Jonathans M

This movie has such a mature story, especially with the hardships they had to go through, cool music, and awesome dancing scenes, and there are also some emotional moments. And I find this to be an underrated gem that should get more attention.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/17/23

Full Review

Charis W

I just rewatched this film for the nostalgia. It's so heartwarming and made me feel good.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/09/23

Full Review

Alan M

I enjoyed the wonderful dancing and relational development between Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas. It seems that they had a lovely, though somewhat unrealistic relationship. What I found unrealistic was the attempts to make the dialogue between the African American actors (and Julia Stiles) as old: cliche and unnatural. The ‘I'm 'aigjt' and the ‘ho'd on, ho'd on, ho'd on’ comments, detract from the other parts of the movie. Those comments made those who spoke those lines sound stereotypically undereducated. They detract from the quality, despite the the overall feel good plot of the movie. Despite the criticism, it's a pleasant movie, worth a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. A pleasant surprise of a feel good story despite its poor attempts at over-characterizing the dialect. Alan M

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

11/27/23

Full Review

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Thomas Carter

Director

Julia Stiles

Sara Johnson

Sean Patrick Thomas

Derek Reynolds

Kerry Washington

Chenille Reynolds

Fredro Starr

Malakai

Terry Kinney

Roy

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Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - The Big Audition

2:13

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - Let's Just Walk Away

1:47

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - It Ain't Over

2:12

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - Maybe We Should Cool It

2:09

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - I Don't Hate You, I Miss Her

1:58

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - Brady Bunch in the Club

1:44

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - Truman Capote Debate

2:12

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - I Was Dancing While She Was Dying

2:00

Save the Last Dance: Official Clip - Lesson One

2:13

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Formulaic teen romance with an MTV spin.

Rated: 2/5

Dec 28, 2010

Full Review

Time Out

As teen melodrama, well, Carter's film is what it is; but for such a mainstream black-consciousness movie, at least it doesn't shy from addressing some touchy issues about masculinity, parenthood, and black attitudes to whites.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Kimberley Jones

Austin Chronicle

To the film's credit, it tries, and while it never really sings, it does deliver the dance.

Rated: 2.5/5

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Tatiana Albandos

Medium Popcorn

This is a reflection of the early 2000s. If this was released now it would have been a mess but it does what it's supposed to, which is to give us fun dance scenes and slightly over-the-top performances. It's a decent film.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 10, 2022

Full Review

Tony Black

Cultural Conversation

A hip, hopeful MTV romance.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 8, 2021

Full Review

Leigh Paatsch

Herald Sun (Australia)

A solid dance-themed movie, with acting of a slightly higher calibre than the genre usually demands.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 2, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

Sara (Julia Stiles) is moved from a small Midwestern town to the south side of Chicago when her mother dies in a car accident, and must live with her father. She soon falls for an African American teenager (Sean Patrick Thomas) at her new high school and he has less than an idyllic past. They share a love for dance (ballet and hip hop respectively) and together they tackle the problems that go with an interracial relationship.

Director: Thomas Carter
Screenwriter: Duane Adler, Duane Adler, Cheryl Edwards
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: MTV Films, Paramount Pictures International, Cort/Madden Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 12, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $91.0M
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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