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      Take the Lead

      PG-13 Released Apr 7, 2006 1 hr. 57 min. Musical Drama List
      44% 122 Reviews Tomatometer 77% 250,000+ Ratings Audience Score When internationally renowned dancer Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) takes a teaching job in a New York City public school, he meets ridicule from the street-wise students, who scoff at the notion of ballroom dancing. Far from being discouraged, he melds their hip-hop moves with his classical style, helping them create a dance form and, in the process, becoming their mentor. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Sep 05 Buy Now

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      Take the Lead

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      Take the Lead

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      Critics Consensus

      Banderas is charismatic in the lead, and the dance sequences are captivating, but the story is too familiar and predictable.

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      Audience Reviews

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      andrzej w It may not be revolutionary or original but it has soul; Great performance from Antonio Banderas. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Between 2.5 and 3 stars. A too many times told story (white professor saves blacks boys), with a few clichés, but, anyway, it works in its style. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review nilufer e Probably because I have two left feet and no sense of rhythm I love movies about dancing. This one also had a good plot based on a real life story. The only dance scene Antonio Banderas had was to die for. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review steve d Cute but somewhat forgettable. Antonio Banderas is a blast in it though. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Take the lead isn't so much a motion picture as it is a lesson in how to force-feed every aspect of cinema into a formula. There's not a lot I can say in defense of Take the Lead. It's a Hollywood product, likely designed primarily for the DVD market. In the interests of maximum appeal, it loses any potential hard edges, soft peddling tough issues that deserve to be shown in their full ugliness. I don't doubt that there's a good story to be found in Dulaine's experiences, but it's not told here. If the topic interests you, I suggest bypassing Take the Lead and renting Mad Hot Ballroom. Not only is it a better made film, but it features richer characters and is a lot more suspenseful. (Could have been better but for the lack of a story). Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Extremely predictable, but hey the dancing and soundtrack is damn good Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/23/19 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Nigel Andrews Financial Times Take the Lead, a dramatised retread of the hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, is so awful it defies describing. Oct 7, 2018 Full Review Stella Papamichael BBC.com A scattering of dance sequences that fuse hip-hop and classical beats provide a few shots of energy, but Take The Lead otherwise plods through the motions. Rated: 2/5 May 6, 2006 Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle Take the Lead offers few if any surprises to anyone who's seen either the aforementioned Breakin', Beat Street, or, most obvious of all, Dangerous Minds. Rated: 2.5/5 May 6, 2006 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com A slightly above average film largely due to an unexpectedly heartwarming, inspired performance from Antonio Banderas. Rated: 2.5/4.0 Sep 25, 2020 Full Review Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News Take the Lead won't win any originality contests, but the new Antonio Banderas vehicle manages to work, thanks to a solid cast and some nice work by director Liz Friedlander. Rated: B- Nov 19, 2019 Full Review Kam Williams Upstage Magazine Lean on Me meets Strictly Ballroom. Tough two-step replaces tough love. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 16, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis When internationally renowned dancer Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) takes a teaching job in a New York City public school, he meets ridicule from the street-wise students, who scoff at the notion of ballroom dancing. Far from being discouraged, he melds their hip-hop moves with his classical style, helping them create a dance form and, in the process, becoming their mentor.
      Director
      Liz Friedlander
      Executive Producer
      Toby Emmerich, Mark Kaufman, Ray Liotta
      Screenwriter
      Dianne Houston
      Distributor
      New Line Cinema
      Production Co
      Tiara Blue Films
      Rating
      PG-13 (Some Violence|Language|Thematic Material)
      Genre
      Musical, Drama
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Apr 7, 2006, Wide
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Apr 19, 2016
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $34.7M
      Sound Mix
      Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)
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