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Take The Lead (2006) DVD Review
Take The Lead (2006) DVD Credits:
Take The Lead (2006) Directed by:
Liz Friedlander
Take The Lead (2006) Written by:
Dianne Houston
Take The Lead (2006) Cast:
Antonio Banderas, Dante Basco, Jenna Dewan, Elijah Kelley, Alfre Woodard
Take The Lead (2006) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Take The Lead (2006) DVD Release Date:
28th August 2006
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Take The Lead (2006) Synopsis:

Inspired by a true story, Antonio Banderas stars as internationally acclaimed ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane in the family drama "Take the Lead". The film revolves around a professional dancer who volunteers to teach in the New York City public school system. But when his classic methods clash with his students' hip hop instincts, he teams up with them to create a new style of dance and becomes their mentor in the process.

Take The Lead (2006) DVD Review:

This has been a big year for movies about dance, but few have such a unique blend as Take the Lead. Save the Last Dance meets Dance With Me, with just a touch of Dangerous Minds. Sure, there is very little that is original about Take the Lead, and many scenes have been done much better and were less melodramatic. Say what you will about the melodrama, but the scenes of ballroom dancing are the most invigorating and passionate inclusions of this art form on film since Simply Ballroom. There is life and energy in the choreography, making it the kind of film that will have you tapping your feet for hours afterwards.

Take the Lead begins with coincidence when famed professional ballroom dancer, Pierre Dulaine (Antonio Banderas), witnesses a young man beating a car with a golf club. Approaching the young urban teen with a temper, Dulaine seems either to have no knowledge or fear of inner city crime. He finds a parking placard and realizes that the car is owned by a local high school principal, so he goes to the school to speak with her. After realizing that nothing can be done within the system, Dulaine decides to teach ballroom dancing to the trouble kids in detention. At first they predictably fight against what he is trying to teach them, which includes manners and respect along with dance steps, but even more predictable is the end result.

The trouble with films based on a true story and adapted into a perfect screenplay is the fact that they are predictably formulaic and completely unbelievable to real life. Take the Lead is a remarkable story, but something tells me that it bears little resemblance to the actual events as they took place for the real Pierre Dulaine, and that ends up hurting the film in terms of credibility. What it doesn’t change is the visual intensity of the dance sequences, only matched by the fantastic combination of hip-hop and ballroom music in the soundtrack.

The DVD for Take the Lead is filled with a number of featurettes and special additions, mostly involving the music and the cinematography, quite deservedly. There is also a commentary track by director Liz Friedlander and editor Robert Ivison and deleted scenes. The “Meet the Dungeon Kids” featurette is interviews with the cast of kids in the film, who all found themselves to be much better dancers at the end of the shoot. “Between the Steps” is a profile on the real Pierre Dulaine, who truly proves inspirational to have a film based on his doings. There is also a featurette with the director and the musical team on the film discussing the combination of the two types of music and a multi-angled view of the final Tango scene between the love triangle. It is a bit hokey, but also difficult not to get sucked into

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Take The Lead (2006) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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