Family Film Review: Take the Lead

Family Film Review: Take the Lead

Release Date: April 7, 2006

MPAA Rating: PG-13, for thematic material, language and some violence

Staring: Antonio Banderas, Alfre Woodard, Rob Brown

Genre: Drama

Recommended Age: 13+

Take the Lead, starring Antonio Banderas, is a wonderful movie that children ages 13 and up can enjoy with their parents. The film tells the story of a group of inner-city high school students who learn to ballroom dance.

Take the Lead is based upon the life of ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane. In the film Pierre (Banderas) volunteers to teach ballroom dancing to inner-city high school students in New York. He is assigned to watch the students in detention, who at first are reluctant to participate telling him that ballroom dancing is for "rich white folks." Eventually, after Pierre demonstrates the tango for them with the top student at his studio, they take an interest. When Dulane tells his students about the all city dance competition coming up the kids decide to enter. The kids combine ballroom dancing with hip hop music to create their own new and interesting style. As the film progresses, Pierre becomes a mentor to many of his students, helping them through hard times.

Although the film teaches the value of team work and perseverance through hard times, there is also some questionable content that parents should be made aware of. Foul language is used regularly, especially the word "ass." The "f" and "s" words also occur, though are very rare. There is also one instance where a derogatory term referencing female anatomy is used to call one of the characters a coward. The sexual content is kept to a minimum although the dancing, both hip hop and ballroom, is sometimes provocative, and it is implied that the mother of one of the students is a prostitute. There is a scene near the end of the film in which one of Pierre's students is threatened with a gun and beat up. There are also mentions of alcohol and drug dealing. Overall parents should seriously debate whether their children are mature enough to handle a movie that addresses these issues, although the positive messages do out weigh the negative content. Take the Lead is a wonderful and entertaining film that children 13 and up will enjoy.

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