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Take The Lead is a movie that combines the elements of two sub-genres—dance movies like Flashdance, Tap, and Save The Last Dance; and “teacher-inspires-students” movies like Lean On Me, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Coach Carter—and blends them together to make for an eclectic and inspiring mix of sound, flash and heart.
The movie is based on the life of a real dance teacher named Pierre Dulane (Antonio Banderas) who inspires inner-city high-school kids by teaching them ballroom dancing. There are no surprises in the film as it lays out as expected: the kids are troubled, he struggles to break through to them, and finally he finds a way to change their lives for the better.
One element that I think was original is the concept that ballroom dancing teaches the kids to treat themselves and others with respect. Mr. Dulane fights with this so much throughout the picture with the students (and one particularly nasty teacher) that I think it becomes the prevailing theme of the movie. I agree that a lot of the kids today are growing up missing this lesson in courtesy towards other people and, to me, it made the picture worth seeing all by itself.
This is Liz Friedlander’s directing debut and I think she does a wonderful job. Her background in the music-video industry serves her very well with this story. Antonio Banderas is incredibly charming and thoughtful as Pierre, and I think he takes hold of the main role with a quiet authority and is able to move the story along effortlessly. He gives the students their space to shine, and the movie becomes stronger with his quiet example standing in the background.
Take The Lead is a great film for fans of the two genres and won’t disappoint anyone who likes the films mentioned above. Action fans, however, may be bored with the content of this film.
