Teen romance with a beat.

Rating: 7/10 (26 May 2002)

Julia Stiles plays Sara Johnson, a teenager who has her life turned upside down when her mother dies suddenly. With this single accident comes any number of world-shattering changes: Suddenly her passion for dance becomes a source of guilt. She is forced to live with her father, a stranger who has played no role in her life since leaving her and her mother. To do this, she must move from her middle class white world to urban Chicago, where her blond hair and ballet training do little to help her blend in with her new peers.
But Sara is no wallflower, and finds a place for herself in her new school and community. Here, too, dance plays an important part of life, and in learning how to "speak" the physical language of hip hop dance, Sara is befriended by Derek Reynolds (Sean Patrick Thomas). Despite the pressures from their peers, Sara and Derek find themselves drawn to each other, and help each other grow.
While I feel that this movie glosses over many of the problems Sara would have faced in her situation, it's a passable teen romance, and tries to have a message. How successful this message will be at reaching its target audience is dubious, but the movie will probably be enjoyed for its music and dance sequences, and for its humor.