Take the Lead (2006)

The real story of a dance teacher who believed in the talent of a group of problem kids.

Director:

Liz Friedlander

Writer:

Dianne Houston

Stars:

Antonio Banderas, Yaya Alafia, Rob Brown

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Antonio Banderas	...	Pierre Dulaine
Yaya Alafia	...	LaRhette (as Yaya DaCosta)
Rob Brown	...	Rock
Alfre Woodard	...	Augustine James
John Ortiz	...	Mr. Temple
Laura Benanti	...	Tina
Jonathan Malen	...	Kurd
Jasika Nicole	...	Egypt
Shawand McKenzie	...	Big Girl
Dante Basco	...	Ramos
Elijah Kelley	...	Danjou
Jenna Dewan-Tatum	...	Sasha (as Jenna Dewan)
Marcus T. Paulk	...	Eddie
Brandon D. Andrews	...	Monster
Lauren Collins	...	Caitlin

Storyline

In New York, the polite dance instructor Pierre Dulaine sees a black teenager vandalizing the car of the director of a public school and on the next day he volunteers to teach dance to students to give respect, dignity, self-confidence, trust and teamwork. The reluctant director Augustine James offers the troublemakers that are in detention expecting Pierre to give-up of his intentions. Pierre struggles against the prejudice and ignorance of the students, parents and other teachers, but wins his battle when the group accepts to compete in a ballroom dance contest.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | student | teacher | dance teacher | ballroom | 

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Taglines:

Never Follow.

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Genres:

Drama | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material, language and some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Metropolitan Films [fr] Official site [tw]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dance with Me

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$206,248 (South Africa) (7 July 2006)

Gross:

$1,113,955 (New Zealand) (18 August 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Tiara Blu Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Dante Basco played high school boy Ramos when he was 31 years old.

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Goofs

In a lot of the scenes in the cellar in which they keep the bad students, a microphone that appears to be on a track shows in most of the shots.

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Quotes

Caitlin: Look, I want to be here. Not because I'm
[awkwardly]
Caitlin: "slumming it", but because I feel better here.

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Connections

References Movie Macabre (1981)

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Soundtracks

"Cookie Pop"
Written by Qaadir Atkinson and Randy Williams
Performed by Neo
Courtesy of Ruff Ryders Productions, Inc.

User Reviews

Surpasses formulaic story

This is a feel-good movie. You will enjoy it, laugh, maybe even cry, despite being able to predict what is going to happen. Banderas does a nice, understated job and the actors portraying the urban kids are outstanding. I didn't like some of the camera angles and chafed at the dance shots often being too close up to really see what the moves were, but the choices in filming undeniably added to both the realism and the energy of the scenes.

Altho based on a true story, one has to wonder how much was added for dramatic effect. Some of the relationships/developments seem just too trite and stereotyped -- and yet the portrayals are enjoyable enough that ultimately you don't care. After the number of times audience members laughed or exclaimed over scenes or lines in the movie, I was surprised that they didn't clap at the end -- it's that kind of movie. It reminded me of both Strictly Ballroom and Stand and Deliver. You won't be sorry you've seen it.