Save The Last Dance

By EWAN McDONALD

Sara (Julia Stiles) was a promising ballet dancer but her mother was killed in an accident on the way to see her perform. Sara is changing a comfortable middle-class existence for life with her musician-father, Roy (Terry Kinney), in a gritty Chicago neighbourhood.

At her new, mostly African-American school, Sara meets Chenille (Kerry Washington), who tutors her in street-smarts, and her brother, Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who becomes her cross-cultural romantic interest ... and new dance partner.

Stiles and Thomas take a cliche and turn it into a statement. Far better than the average high-school movie.

Running time: 113 mins

Rental: Now