Great chemistry, entertainment, and emotion!

Rating: 10/10 (3 February 2001)

I thought Save the Last Dance was wonderful. I never cry at movies, but this one made me cry 3 times. The chemistry between Julia Stiles (played Sara) and Sean Patrick Thomas (played Derek) was incredible and absolutely believable. You could FEEL the attraction between them, and they draw you into the story. There were scenes where you could just see that not only were they playing the emotional and physical role but the intelligence and thought of the role as well. I've also been a big fan of choreographer Fatima, and she does a great job in all those dramatic, fun, and complex dance scenes. Others who commented that sending a "white girl" into a Chicago high school to become "black" in two days was unrealistic missed the entire focus of the movie. First of all, Sara didn't become "black." The whole emphasis was that she was white and others had problems with the interracial couple. It was completely realistic because some people in our society still can't get past two people of different races dating. Another aspect that was very realistic was the fact that the students in this high school dominated by African-Americans didn't drop and gasp because of "the new white girl invading their territory." It showed that they had better things to deal with. I enjoyed the whole experience this movie brought forth. I rated it a 10 out of 10 because not only did it entertain and bring out emotions in me, but it was realistic and tackled a problem that is still prominent in society today.