Banderas stands and delivers

It is not often that a tagline can ruin a movie, but it is possible (i.e "They're making memories tonight!" for the forgettable "It's a Wonderful Life"), and "Take the Lead" qualifies. The tagline is "Never follow." Interesting, considering this is a film about a teacher who struggles throughout the entirety of the film to get his inner-city students to follow his lead. Also interesting given the fact that Antonio Banderas says at one point, "A man leads. It is the woman's job to follow." So, never follow … unless you're a woman. \nImportant universal lessons like this one are jam-packed into this feel good dance film. For example, Banderas also imparts the audience with this nugget: "You need to dance for yourself, not anyone else." Thanks, Antonio. The lesson is clear: don't listen to anyone else, just do what feels right. Wikipedia.org describes this philosophy as "Satanism," but hey, we do not have the luxury to be picky in our philosophies in these crazy times.\n"Take the Lead" is a film about two opposite cultures intersecting: black urban youth culture and Franco-Spanish high society. That's right. You see, in this film, Banderas is half French and half Spanish. If you have been waiting for a film that finally served to ease the long-standing tension between Franco-Spanish high society and unrefined high-school culture, your wait has officially come to an end.\nThe premise of the film is simple. Banderas (playing himself, I'm fairly certain), is concerned about the students at the local high school. So, he waltzes in to the principal's office (ha!) and demands to teach the students the art of the waltz. He insists it will teach them dignity and respect. These are quite clearly the two most important things these kids need; right next to food, money, perspective and shelter.\nThe impoverished students Banderas takes under his muscular Latin wings do actually need shelter. Especially the main student, a 6'3'' Playgirl centerfold named "Rock." His father is a good-for-nothing drunk and his mother spends all their money on drugs. The movie is lighthearted, but it gets a little bit too real when Rock nearly crushes his father's trachea with his perfectly toned forearm. At this point, Rock decides to go live in the boiler room of the high school. When confronted about this later in the film, Banderas delivers one of cinema's great lines of our time: "Rock, may I ask you why you've been living in the boiler room?" \nThe school officially becomes a refugee camp when another student needs to escape from her consultant mother's clients (consultant meaning hooker, client meaning, well, client, but with different subtext).\nEventually, the Parent Teacher Association is convened for a meeting wherein the calculus teacher plots to overthrow the dance program. One of the lessons you learn early on in film school about how to spot a great film is when the bad-guy is a nerdy, un-intimidating high-school calculus teacher. Does Banderas convince the PTA to keep the program? Well, you'll just have to waste $8 to find out for yourself.