Save the Last Dance (2001)

"You're my best luck."

On the brink of being accepted into the Julliard School of Dance, teenage ballerina Sara Johnson's (Julia Stiles) beloved mother and best supporter is killed in an accident. Her dreams dashed, Sara must move across town from her suburban home and upscale school to live with her father, Roy (Terry Kinney), a musician, in a seedy apartment in a tough neighborhood in Chicago.

In her new school, Sara is one of the few white students but Chenille Reynolds (Kerry Washington) takes Sara under her wing and introduces her to Chenille's crowd, but not before Sara and Derek Reynolds (Sean Patrick Thomas), Chenille's brother who is academically talented, fall into a discussion of great recent American writers.

Chenille steers Sara away from those she shouldn't hang out with, teaches Sara the lingo and the dress of their peers, and takes her to a 21-club after securing fake ID for Sara. Sara quickly learns the street ways for a girl to deal with a guy, and also learns more than she thought possible about rap and hip hop.

Others in the cast include: Fredro Starr, Bianca Lawson, Vince Green, Garland Whitt, Elisabeth Oas, Artel Kayàru, Dorothy Martin.

Directed by Thomas Carter.

Run time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content, language and brief drug references.

My personal rating: C+