Save the Last Dance

Formulaic teen romance with an MTV spin.

As teen melodrama, well, Carter's film is what it is; but for such a mainstream black-consciousness movie, at least it doesn't shy from addressing some touchy issues about masculinity, parenthood, and black attitudes to whites.

To the film's credit, it tries, and while it never really sings, it does deliver the dance.

A refreshingly friendly view of a romance between people of different pigmentation, an area where more respectable pictures still wimp out.

It's just a pity for the actors and the audience that the theme of conquering one's background, prejudices, and limitations has to be spelled out in block capitals.

Patronising hybrid of a myriad of other teen movies. Don't bother, just watch them instead.

This is a reflection of the early 2000s. If this was released now it would have been a mess but it does what it's supposed to, which is to give us fun dance scenes and slightly over-the-top performances. It's a decent film.

A hip, hopeful MTV romance.

A solid dance-themed movie, with acting of a slightly higher calibre than the genre usually demands.

This movie has sentimental value. But it's way too long, very boring, and the acting is weird, with 35-year-olds playing 19-year-olds.