Yes, at first glance, "Take the Lead" looks like every other movie of its kind. "Save the Last Dance" meets "Stand and Deliver" meets every live-action Disney movie. In essence, dedicated teacher/coach inspires underachieving students/players to believe in themselves and they ultimately triumph over previously established meaner, more talented bad guys. Then, everybody lives happily ever after. The cast may change, but the gist is the same.
And that's what "Take the Lead" appears to be. Super-sexy Antonio Banderas is Pierre Dulaine, a real-life ballroom dancing teacher who, for God knows what reason, decides to teach his craft to some inner-city teenagers stuck in detention. Dulaine is not even a teacher at the school. He just wants to help. Then, of course, at least by the end of the film's trailer, he has these kids with attitude whipped into shape and ready to take on the city competition and everyone learns a valuable lesson.
But that is where the similarities end, surprisingly enough. Banderas is hilarious as the cultured Dulaine, and in one of his opening scenes, he has a great encounter with one of his future students in the principal's office, showing off by opening the door for every woman who walks by. The student's reaction, as well as the reactions of the other characters in the movie to Dulaine's refined behavior, is a running joke through the movie.
After Dulaine decides to teach these kids to ballroom dance, it takes them a while to warm up to one another. Naturally, they're all intimidated by Dulaine's actual students at his studio who have been dancing for years. But, with the promise of a $5,000 prize if they win the city competition, the kids begin to come around.
Each of Dulaine's students has their own out-of-school issues to deal with. Jason "Rock" Rockwell (Rob Brown) has an alcoholic father, an illegal job and a running feud with a fellow student. Lahrette's (YaYa DaCosta, winner of "America's Next Top Model") brother was killed in a fatal fight with Rock's brother. Lahrette has to help her hooker mother raise her young siblings. Other characters include Ramos (Dante Basco), Sasha (Jenna Dewan), Eddie (Marcus T. Paulk) and Caitlin (Lauren Collins), an out-of-place student from Dulaine's studio who feels more at home at the school than the studio.
Romances and triangles ensue among many of the characters, and outside sources cause friction among the students. Rock takes some convincing before he will dance, especially because of his intense, and completely mutual, dislike for Lahrette. Both end up running away from home. Unfortunately, though, these scenes that focus on one character at home are the dullest parts of the movie. The dance sequences and those where Dulaine is teaching are electric and engaging, and the parts that show the students out of class are too numerous and too slow. One is constantly left itching to get back to the action, to the other characters.
Not to spoil the ending, but of course, some of the students get discouraged and run into problems with showing up to the competition but everything is happy in the end (naturally). But this is not what makes the movie excellent. It is the comedy and the dancing. Banderas shows a wit he does not often get to reveal. The students each bring their own humor to the table, and it works so well. The audience was laughing throughout the entire movie, and rightfully so. There are some clich? moments and contrived dialogue, but the above-and-beyond parts more than make up for those other moments.
And, of course, the dancing, backed by an excellent soundtrack that begins by remixing Q-Tip with a Lena Horne classic, makes the movie. All of the students are incredibly talented, as is Banderas, and the fusion of ballroom and hip-hop that emerges is magnetic.
Going into this movie, it may not seem worth it, but, surprisingly, it really is.
