Take the Lead stars a group of teenagers and Antonio Banderas as the story of a ballroom dancer named Pierre Dulaine. Lets face it, Antonio Banderas is not that good of an actor and his accent is definitely not an advantage. He has always seemed more fit for action films than drama films. Everyone knows Banderas as either Zorro or El Mariachi. Even with that, it doesn't mean he shouldn't star in drama films because Banderas presence alone and the way he handles himself makes up for his average acting skills.
In this film Banderas is helping a group of teenagers in detention to learn ballroom dancing. These teens are in detention what seems to be at least a couple of months. I certainly have never heard of a detention being held that long, its usually called suspension. Either way, this is what occurs and ballroom is later mixed in with their hip hop preference.
Take the Lead is directed by Liz Friedlander, a woman, which is rare in Hollywood and one of the best at the moment is Sofia Coppola. Friedlander misfires here with the material in hand. The script, first of all was not as inspiring as it should have been and it was not emotional at all. These teenagers live in a terrible neighborhood, much like in Dangerous Minds and the parents are incredibly flawed as human beings. Take the Lead sets out to not prove much of anything.
If this film proves anything at all than its that you can become whatever you want as long as you dedicate yourself. Well, thats nothing new, its known thats what you must do, but apparently these kids are in their breaking point or simply don't care anymore. Director Friedlander is an okay director and what she does manage to do is create a few lighthearted moments and try to focus on the lives of the teenagers and their learning of dancing, not about Pierre Dulaine. While this is the right route to take, its not believable for one second that these teenagers can become amazing dancers in just a little bit of time.
This film is certainly predictable and doesn't show us as much as we should know about the deaths and problems going on in the kids lives. When it comes to the emotional attachment, Take the Lead fails miserably. When it comes to the dancing, Take the Lead succeeds because its excellent dancing and entertaining to watch, but not realistic whatsoever. There are romances that also occur from Take the Lead and these teens gain more respect because of Pierre.
Take the Lead goes out with a whimper and its underwhelming. This is not a disaster, but it failed in the opportunities given. Its not intriguing enough or impressive to even be considered good. When Take the Lead is over, it won't do much for anyone besides the dancing and Banderas presence. Take the Lead is not inspirational and it never really captures the ultimate joy of dancing. Sometimes films with good intentions are not handled well and the script for Take the Lead should have been revised.
