Save the Last Dance (2001)

A white midwestern girl moves to Chicago, where her new boyfriend is a black teen from the South Side with a rough, semi-criminal past.

Director:

Thomas Carter

Writers:

Duane Adler (story), Duane Adler (screenplay)

Stars:

Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, Kerry Washington

6 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Julia Stiles	...	Sara
Sean Patrick Thomas	...	Derek
Kerry Washington	...	Chenille
Fredro Starr	...	Malakai
Terry Kinney	...	Roy
Bianca Lawson	...	Nikki
Vince Green	...	Snookie
Garland Whitt	...	Kenny
Elisabeth Oas	...	Diggy
Artel Great	...	Arvel (as Artel Jarod Walker)
Cory Stewart	...	Lip
Jennifer Anglin	...	Glynn
Dorothy Martin	...	Momma Dean
Kim Tlusty	...	Lindsay
Felicia Fields	...	Woman on Train

Storyline

Sara wants to be a ballerina, but her dreams are cut short by the sudden death of her mother. She moves in with her father, who she has not seen for a long time. He lives on the other side of town, in a predominantly Black neighborhood. She gets transferred to a new school where she is one of the few White students there. She becomes friends with Chenille, and later, falls in love with Chenille's brother, Derek.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | ghetto | hip hop | dancing | imperative in title | 

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Taglines:

The Only Person You Need To Be Is Yourself.

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Genres:

Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 January 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pasión y baile

Filming Locations:

CTA Rail System, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,526,443, 14 January 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$91,057,006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$131,706,809

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cort/Madden Productions, MTV Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Thomas Carter cast Julia Stiles in the role of Sara after seeing her "table dance" in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999).

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Goofs

Obvious double when Derek is dancing and does the splits.

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Quotes

Sara: Screw you, I'm brilliant and cool.
Derek: You're not quite there yet.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD features four deleted scenes:

• Record Store: A scene after the first night at Steps. Snook tries to talk a girl and gets shot down. He gives Derek the last copy of a CD. Sara shops for some hip-hop CDs and flirts with Derek.
• Jazz Club: Sara goes to see her father play.
• Chenille's Apartment: Kenny and Chenille argue about their son and talk about their relationship before the baby.
• Playground: Kenny and Chenille talk in a park.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.65 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Hate the Playaz
Written by Brian Kierulf, Josh Schwartz, and Nathan Butler
Performed by Audrey Martells with KNS
Courtesy of Zomba Music Services

User Reviews

I loved it !!

This made me want to dance, I thought that Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas had excellent chemistry and excellent moves. There were some stereotypes however involved, but nothing extreme that you could just sit there and point them out. I loved the music and I thought the clothes were kewl