 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Take the Lead
- Review Date: August 28, 2006
- PG-13
- Genre: Drama
- 2006
Common Sense Media says
NYC high schoolers saved by ballroom dancing.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this film includes some images of violence, as well as references to painful past deaths (two kids' siblings were killed in gang violence). A frustrated boy smashes his principal's car with a bar; a gun is drawn near the film's end, and a crew who deals drugs and stolen materials beats up their reluctant member (some blood visible on his face, as he finally makes it to the ballroom competition). The dancing is sometimes very formal, often very sexualized (especially the tango, salsa, and hip-hop moves). Characters deal drugs, threaten violence, smoke cigarettes, and drink.
What's the story?
In TAKE THE LEAD, New York ballroom dancing teacher Pierre (Antonio Banderas) begins teaching a group of troubled high school students. He's first stymied, then embraced by the flinty-then-warm principal (Alfre Woodard). Though his students -- assigned to detention hall for various infractions -- resist his initial efforts to "express themselves" through dance (and especially, disdain his romantic oldies music), they do come to appreciate his dedication, and the fact that he brings in one of his upscale, white, and very snobby students, Morgan (Katya Virshilas), to show the proper execution of the tango. The boys' eyes predictably pop ("It's like sex on hardwood!") and the girls appreciate Morgan's deft athleticism. Pierre and his toughest student, Rock (Rob Brown), test one another, learn to trust one another, and come up with a mutually respectful relationship by film's end.
Is it any good?
Well-meaning and energetic, Liz Friedlander's fiction film skews older than last year's documentary Mad Hot Ballroom (though both are inspired by the same NYC program), and features more acrobatic camerawork and slicker editing. This means the movie grants the kids an inevitable endpoint: an entertaining dance competition where they combine hip-hop and ballroom strategies.
Yet while Rock is "developed" in relation to several characters, most of the students never get out from under their initial stereotypes. The film alludes to the students' complex lives and "issues" but they're resolved in the fiction more simplistically than are the younger kids' dilemmas in the documentary. And the Michelle Pfeiffer plot is corny. Even the diligent, compassionate widower Pierre gets a girlfriend by the end.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the options available for the dance students. How might their dance training help them in other aspects of their lives (getting a job, looking after children and parents, continuing their educations)? How does the film set up a connection between their home-life conflicts and their work in the dance class?
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AGE
LOVED IT ! ! ! !
This was a very good movie I'm not being generous by giving its 5 star rating. But what brought the movie down was all the violance.
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AGE
Take it baby
This is a superub film with great dancing and great actors that you make you dance at the end love it?
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AGE
Hmmm
Gret Move! I am 12 and I saw it. Then again Isee EVERYTHI(NG i want cause I dont have stupid 'rents.
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AGE
Anger leading to redemption
It was only half way through the movie that I remembered that these kids were actors - not real "rejects" in a hell of a NYC school. Despite their burned-out principal and hostility from other teachers, Antonio Banderas succeeds in turning these kids' lives around. Completely unsentimental and gritty - and amazing, amazing acting. To think that so many kids have lives like this with no hope offered. MUST SEE.
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AGE
The best movie ever!
This is the best movie ever! In this movie, a real-life story teacher teaches ballroom dancing. Problem is, the kids are rebellious and it is hard to get them to learn. Swearing is frequent, but that is the only problem. Recommended to everyone.
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AGE
I loved this it was great
This movie was very good. I loved it. I am 13 and it does deal with a lot of problems many teens face in the world. But the ballroom teacher helps them to see how to deal with their problems and to lead a better life. I would defently say that this was a great movie and a movie that you should see. It was great.
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AGE
Loved it.
Great dance moves and a lot of positive perspectives about life. My wife and daughter loved it as much as I did.
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AGE
Good movie for 11 year olds and over for it has a near-rape scene and some langauge
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| Studio: | New Line |
| Director: | Liz Friedlander |
| Cast: | Alfre Woodard, Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown |
| Genre: | Drama |
| Run time: | 117 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 7, 2006 |
| DVD release date: | August 29, 2006 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | thematic material, language and some violence |
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