Film Review - Take the Lead

A charming lead delivers it all
By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Alfre Woodard, Dante Basco
Directed by: Liz Friedlander

The charming Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas) and a bunch of school rejects turned impassioned dancers take the lead in an inspirational story about the harsh realities in a New York public school. A dance-filled teen melodrama mainly set in a high school detention hall, the theme of ‘Take the Lead’ clings on to the interesting and exciting mix of hip-hop and ballroom music. And it turns out to be a predictable story hanging on to some good and entertaining dance and comic sequences in a pop fairy tale fashion. Its inspirational teacher movie formula where Banderas’ charisma mainly becomes its only source of strength associates it with films like Dangerous Minds, Mad Hot Ballroom and Shall We Dance.

Inspired by a true story, the film revolves around the idea of a professional dancer Pierre Dulaine volunteering to teach ballroom dancing in New York City’s South Bronx High School. When his formal background and classic methods clash with his students’ rebellious and hip-hop instincts, his efforts are given due credit when his class gets to create a new style of dance so interesting, inspiring and challenging in every step. A feel-good story utilizing music and dance to infuse their emotions with their passion for dancing, Dulaine guides the problem kids with the complications in their personalize lives.

As a kickoff to set the mood is an impressive opening sequence that introduces a swing as a form of music and dance form. And from then on, the music shifts from the tango and the foxtrot to the hip-hop and some groovy remixes – combining ballroom and hip-hop moves in some exciting ways.

The hip-hop and ballroom music mix becomes a marketable concept. It has a certain appeal to peek the curiosity of the audience. The dances make the movie vivid but not as spectacular as expected. The movie’s dynamism and the characters’ coming-of-age adversities don’t stand as clear as the expectations for the film. What redeems the movie is a combination of splendid dance scenes, good music, and an Antonio Banderas making it energetic from the surface. Moreover, it seems like the debuting film director Liz Friendlander mainly leaves a mark of her music video directing roots with the film’s shifts in tone and its stylish cuts. Physically, it works at a certain extent; but its feature film potential weakens with its superficiality and lack of deeper sensation for the story. The film extends more on the flashy dance sequences and falls a bit short on depth and direction, along with its commercial compromises.

There are plenty of funny parts. The interesting character conflicts and drama make interesting accents. However, the ending doesn’t seem to wrap up everything. And although the film is convincingly pegged under the Hollywood mainstream formula, some issues are not clearly resolved. The dance performances and Bandera’s appeal deserve applause. The script is another story.

The wonderfully magnetic and charming Banderas in the lead delivers it all for the film. It certainly helps that he plays Dulaine. Oozing with charm and talent, he fits the role as if he were born to play it. The film loses redemptive power without his sophistication. His compassion, his accent and his flowery courtliness can obviously make girls swoon. From the way he effectively carries both his dramatic and comedic scenes as the perfect sexy gentleman to his mad hot dance performance with Morgan (Katya Virshilas), the endorphin rush for the film really takes the lead because of him.

The rousing finale is no less engaging – the audience tends to anticipate something hopefully surprising in the end. However, there are many false steps with its choppy finale and vague ending. Even the fusion of classic dance and hip-hop moves doesn’t give a clear final bow. It is entertaining but it could have used a better tempo to make it more worthwhile in the end and not just leave all the clichés unturned. The film knows which way to swing but it doesn’t know where and when to end itself with a thrill.