I must begin this movie review with an apology to my sister. She’s been a huge Antonio Banderas fan for years and I’ve never really seen the attraction and told her so. However, after seeing “Take the Lead,” I must confess to some oo-la-la and I hereby publicly admit, he is a very nice-looking man.
Banderas plays Pierre Dulaine, owner of a dance studio and professional ballroom dancer. He’s concerned about the fate of the youth who live in the inner city areas in New York City, and this concern is heightened when he sees a teenager vandalize a car outside a high school. Wanting to do something to help, he goes inside to see the principal (Alfre Woodard) and proposes that he offer his time to teach ballroom dance to the youth in her school. She thinks he’s crazy and tells him so. However, she agrees to let him try his methods on the kids in her detention class.
When he walks in for the first time, the kids have no idea what to make of him. He’s a consummate gentleman and they’ve never been treated with respect. He talks to the girls like ladies, and they’ve never seen such a thing. They make fun of him at first, telling him that ballroom dancing just isn’t their thing and they prefer hip hop. But the second day, he catches their attention by asking one of his students to come with him, and they perform a tango for the students. Suddenly the guys see how dancing can win them girls, and the girls see what it would be like for a man to treat them with respect. They fall in line with the program, and soon they’re all working hard.
Pierre enters them into a dance competition, and they take what they’ve learned from him and combine it with a few of their own moves to perform something truly memorable.
Banderas’s character is based on the real life Pierre Dulaine, who brought ballroom dance to inner city schools all over the nation and has changed the lives of countless teenagers.
And may I just say one more word about that tango . . . oo-la-la.
This film was rated PG-13.
Related Blogs: