Take the Lead
A suave dance teacher turns hooligans into hoofers.
Does Hollywood have some sort of contract with educators stating that teachers must be 'œportrayed as unwavering saints?' said Christopher Kelly in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It sure seems that way. In Take the Lead, Antonio Banderas plays Pierre Dulaine, a New York City ballroom dance teacher who takes on a class of rowdy inner-city students. Pierre doesn't drink, do drugs, or have sex. All he wants, apparently, is to see these ducklings transformed into swans. Certainly such goody-goodies exist, but they don't make very interesting characters. Though the plot is of the overworked 'œredemption by rhumba' genre, Banderas almost makes it work, said Eleanor Ringel Gillespie in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He invests the role of gentlemanly dance teacher with 'œconsiderable charm and smooth dance moves.' The kids are somewhat less engaging, but the camera smartly stays trained on Banderas as much as possible. Yet even Banderas' star power can't overcome Dianne Houston's feeble script, said Chris Kaltenbach in the Baltimore Sun. We're supposed to believe that Dulaine spontaneously commits to the program after seeing an angry student attack a principal's car with a golf club? 'œPlease, there has to be more to the story, more to the character's motivation, than that.'
Rating: PG-13
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
The Finest Summer Flavours
By Sponsored Content Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 20, 2024
Cartoons Monday's cartoons - flags flipped, Diddy dunked, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Diddy admits to beating girlfriend after video
Speed Read Though he previously denied allegations of abuse, Combs apologized for abusing Cassie Ventura following the release of new CCTV footage
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published