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Take the Lead

Play trailer Poster for Take the Lead PG-13 2006 1h 57m Musical Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
44% Tomatometer 121 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
When internationally renowned dancer Pierre Dulaine takes a teaching job in a New York City public school, he meets ridicule from the street-wise students, who scoff at the notion of ballroom dancing. Far from being discouraged, he melds their hip-hop moves with his classical style, helping them create a dance form and, in the process, becoming their mentor.
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Take the Lead

Take the Lead

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Critics Consensus

Banderas is charismatic in the lead, and the dance sequences are captivating, but the story is too familiar and predictable.

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Critics Reviews

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Nigel Andrews Financial Times Oct 7, 2018
Take the Lead, a dramatised retread of the hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, is so awful it defies describing. Go to Full Review Anna Smith Time Out May 6, 2006
While their transformation is predictable, it's quietly enjoyable, and the teen angle opens the door to romance and gritty gang-war subplots. Go to Full Review Marc Savlov Austin Chronicle May 6, 2006
2.5/5
Take the Lead offers few if any surprises to anyone who's seen either the aforementioned Breakin', Beat Street, or, most obvious of all, Dangerous Minds. Go to Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Sep 25, 2020
2.5/4.0
A slightly above average film largely due to an unexpectedly heartwarming, inspired performance from Antonio Banderas. Go to Full Review Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News Nov 19, 2019
B-
Take the Lead won't win any originality contests, but the new Antonio Banderas vehicle manages to work, thanks to a solid cast and some nice work by director Liz Friedlander. Go to Full Review Kam Williams Upstage Magazine Jun 16, 2007
3.5/4
Lean on Me meets Strictly Ballroom. Tough two-step replaces tough love. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad Sep 19, 2026 Take The Lead = a *3.5* star Movie! See more andrzej w @RT58026638 Oct 2, 2022 It may not be revolutionary or original but it has soul; Great performance from Antonio Banderas. See more Emilio T @MilloTPue Nov 14, 2021 Between 2.5 and 3 stars. A too many times told story (white professor saves blacks boys), with a few clichés, but, anyway, it works in its style. See more nilufer e @Nilicim Jun 26, 2020 Probably because I have two left feet and no sense of rhythm I love movies about dancing. This one also had a good plot based on a real life story. The only dance scene Antonio Banderas had was to die for. See more steve d @RT35616104 Jun 26, 2020 Cute but somewhat forgettable. Antonio Banderas is a blast in it though. See more Oct 29, 2018 Take the lead isn't so much a motion picture as it is a lesson in how to force-feed every aspect of cinema into a formula. There's not a lot I can say in defense of Take the Lead. It's a Hollywood product, likely designed primarily for the DVD market. In the interests of maximum appeal, it loses any potential hard edges, soft peddling tough issues that deserve to be shown in their full ugliness. I don't doubt that there's a good story to be found in Dulaine's experiences, but it's not told here. If the topic interests you, I suggest bypassing Take the Lead and renting Mad Hot Ballroom. Not only is it a better made film, but it features richer characters and is a lot more suspenseful. (Could have been better but for the lack of a story). See more Read all reviews
Take the Lead

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Cast & Crew

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Liz Friedlander

Director

Antonio Banderas

Pierre Dulaine

Rob Brown

Rock

Alfre Woodard

Augustine James

Yaya DaCosta

LaRhette

Lauren Collins

Caitlin

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Take the Lead

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Movie Info

Synopsis When internationally renowned dancer Pierre Dulaine takes a teaching job in a New York City public school, he meets ridicule from the street-wise students, who scoff at the notion of ballroom dancing. Far from being discouraged, he melds their hip-hop moves with his classical style, helping them create a dance form and, in the process, becoming their mentor.
Director
Liz Friedlander
Producer
Christopher Godsick, Michelle Grace, Diane Nabatoff
Screenwriter
Dianne Houston
Distributor
New Line Cinema
Production Co
Tiara Blue Films
Rating
PG-13 (Some Violence|Language|Thematic Material)
Genre
Musical, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 7, 2006, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$34.7M
Runtime
1h 57m
Sound Mix
Dolby SRD, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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