Save the Last Dance is a peculiar little film. Peculiar in the sense that it was cliched in different ways than I expected it to be. In fact, the dancing in the picture seems oddly out of place. This is really a film about second chances and a star crossed romance.

In Save the Last Dance, Julia Stiles (10 Things I Hate About You, State and Main) plays a high schooler who, following a tragedy, moves into the heart of Chicago to live with her estranged father. There, she meets and falls for an intelligent young man (Sean Patrick Thomas). Together they try to help each other with the different problems that plague their lives.

Culture clash plays an important role in this picture and, although much of it is obvious, the extremely talented and attractive cast are able to elevate themselves above the stilted dialogue and familiar situations. Stiles is a charmer and proves to be a major talent, while Thomas emerges as an energetic, charismatic actor who also looks to have a bright future. Director Thomas Carter introduces a spate of subplots that never fully gel but, there are enough sparks between Stiles and Thomas to make their relationship seem real, even though it seems a bit rushed. Save the Last Dance also pulsates with a catchy soundtrack which, will no doubt, be a major draw for some people.

Much of Save the Last Dance suffers from sappy melodrama and much of the confrontational moments in the film seem directly taken from Boys in the Hood. There are also moments in the picture that seem to be influenced by Dirty Dancing, Jungle Fever, and even Grease. Of course, the real target audience for this film is teenage girls and Save the Last Dance preaches a stronger message than Coyote Ugly or Center Stage, so in that respect, I guess this movie gets the job done.

In the end, Save the Last Dance didn't move me the way it might move others, but it's full of well drawn characters. It's nice to see a film in which young people are not portrayed as brainless, but this picture as a whole is all too predictable. A forbidden love, trying to make amends with the estranged father, getting sucked into the gangster lifestyle etc. These are all real life problems, but Save the Last Dance doesn't always deal with them in a realistic manner. That's a shame because this is a smart, likable cast. A cast that deserves a stronger story to showcase their talent.