Save the Last Dance (film)

Bibliography: Carter, T. (Director). (2001). Save the last dance [Motion picture on Streaming]. USA: Paramont Catalog.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Music, Romance

Actors: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas

Release Date: January 12, 2001

DVD Release Date: January 1, 2013

Length: 112 min

Writers: Duane Adler

Screenplay: Duane Adler; Cheryl Edwards

ASIN: B00AMEZDJW

Interest Age: 14+

Plot Summary: Immediately after falling during her much coveted audition for Juilliard, 17 year old ballerina, Sara Johnson, learns of her mother’s death. She has no choice but to live with her estranged father in a crime-ridden neighborhood of Chicago. As one of the few white kids in her new high school, Sara discovers a rougher side of life than ever knew existed. Her new friend is already a mother; tempers are volatile; violence is a way of life. Desperately missing her mother and the dancing career she chose to forget, she finds solace in new friends and a new boyfriend. Things aren’t easy, though—dating Derek, one of the few ambitious guys in her school, has made her the enemy of some classmates. Derek refuses to give into the dark pressures of his upbringing, spending time instead encouraging Sara to follow her dreams of studying at Juilliard. When pushed to the brink, both Sara and Derek are forced to make decisions that will ultimately determine the next course in their lives.

Critical Evaluation: Perhaps the most significant, and maybe the most difficult, part of acting is to invisibly highlight the other actors’ performances and enable every character to bring their very best to the film. But that is exactly what the cast of Save the Last Dance were able to do. The entire cast has tremendous chemistry. The two main characters, played by Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas, have such a genuine rapport that they are able to develop a completely believable relationship. Kerry Washington, who plays Chenille (Derek’s sister and Sara’s best friend), was a whirlwind of realism. Her mannerisms, speech and emotions were so perfect to her role that viewers are instantly intrigued. The way she throws out insults and tells it like it is and adores her baby son deepen the character into a viable person. Julia Stiles also did a brilliant job in transitioning from a suburban ballerina to the token white kid in an all-black school. You could feel her awkwardness, her unsurity in her clothes, her movements, her intelligence. Viewers can’t help but remember their own similar situations and root for Sara to conquer her grief and embrace her dreams.

Reader’s Annotation: After her mother dies in a tragic car crash, ballerina Sara Johnson has to pick up the shattered pieces of her life. Forced to move in with her estranged father inner-city Chicago, Sara must figure out who she is and how she can still make her Juilliard dreams come true.

Curriculum ties: physical education (dance)

Booktalks: hip hop; race relations; grief

Challenge issues: gangs, violence, profanity

Challenge Issue Resources:

• Library Selection Policy
• Rationale explaining why the item was chosen for the collection
• Active listening skills
• Awards
• Reconsideration form (as a last resort)
• Illinois Library Association (Banned Books Listings)
• National Council of Teachers of English “Right to Read”
• Positive and negative reviews: expert, parent, student
• ALA Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials
• ALA Bill of Rights on Intellectual Freedom

• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

Reasoning: Save the Last Dance gives teens and young adults permission to pursue their own dreams even when dealing with grief, desperation and other untenable life circumstances. It entertains while it inspires; it educates while it promotes diversity and understanding of other races.

References: Save the Last Dance. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2015, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0206275/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1