» STORY

[Synopsis]

In this romantic drama, two teenagers in love struggle to look past their differences. After the unexpected death of her mother, Sarah Johnson (Julia Stiles) moves to Chicago to live with her father. Knowing no one at her new school and not at home in a gritty, inner-city high school, Sarah has trouble adjusting, but she soon becomes friends with Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who has talent and street smarts but a checkered past. Sarah was an avid student of ballet before her mother’s death sidelined her studies, while Derek has some serious hip-hop moves, and their mutual love of dance leads their friendship into something deeper. However, since Sarah is white and Derek is black, they have more to contend with than the average high school couple; Sarah gets static from Nikki (Bianca Lawson), Derek’s former girlfriend, while Derek has to deal with his friend Malakai (Fredro Starr), who is still deep in the thug life Derek is trying to avoid. Save the Last Dance was directed by Thomas Carter, who previously examined the sociopolitical side of dancing in Swing Kids.


© Allmovie


» CAST

Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek – Bianca Lawson as Nikki – Kerry Washington as Chenille

Julia Stiles … Sara Johnson
Sean Patrick Thomas … Derek Reynolds
Kerry Washington … Chenille Reynolds
Fredro Starr … Malakai
Terry Kinney … Roy Johnson
Bianca Lawson … Nikki
Vince Green … Snookie
Garland Whitt … Kenny
Elisabeth Oas … Diggy

Entire castlist @ IMDB

» SARA

Sara, a 17-year-old high-school student, sets her sights on being a professional ballerina, but she has to put her plans on hold when her mother is killed in a car accident and she is forced to move to her father’’s bleak Chicago neighborhood. Intimidated by inner-city life, she turns to the clubs for refuge, where she meets Derek, a young black man who shares her love for dancing.


» MONEY TALKS

Domestic Total Gross: $91,057,006
Foreign Total Gross: $40,649,803
Opening Weekend: $23,444,930
Widest Release: 2,570 theaters
Production Budget: NA

© Box Office Mojo


» DVD INFORMATION

Released: 6th August 2002
Available in Widescreen DVD

Bonus Materials Special Collectors Edition:

Audio Commentary by Director Thomas Carter
The Making of Save the Last Dance Featurette
Save the Last Dance – A Retrospective Featurette
The Writers’ Story
In Step: The Choreographer’s Story
2 Additional Scenes
Music Video: “Crazy” by K-Ci and JoJo
Sneak Peek at Save the Last Dance 2
Save the Last Dance 2 Trailer
Theatrical Trailer

More info?


» REVIEWS

Received 53 metascore out of 100 based on 24 reviews @ Metacritic.com [09/29/07]
Overall grade breakdown: A’s: 64 20.4% B’s: 109 34.8%

New York Post
Entertainment Weekly
USA Today

More @ Rotten Tomatoes


» AWARDS & NOMINATIONS

1. 2001 Film - Choice Actress (Stiles) Teen Choice Award – Teen Choice Awards
2. 2001 Film – Choice Fight Scene (Stiles & Lawson) Teen Choice Award – Teen Choice Awards
3. 2001 Best Kiss (Stiles & Thomas) MTV Movie Award – MTV Movie Awards

1. 2001 Film – Choice Drama/Action Adventure Nomination – Teen Choice Awards
2. 2001 Best Female Performance (Stiles) Nomination – MTV Movie Awards

» LINKS

IMDB – Official Site – Wikipedia