There comes a time for the aging heartthrob to retire his half-buttoned shirt and resign himself to making more family-friendly films. Antonio Banderas's Take the Lead is set to be an all-ages pleaser, but its 45-year-old star hasn't given up his Latin lover status just yet.
The film is the latest incarnation of the inspirational teacher/coach genre, fusing a Stand and Deliver-esque plotline with the recent ballroom dancing craze. Banderas plays the insuppressibly suave Pierre Dulaine, a New York dance instructor who attempts to reform a group of public high school delinquents via (surprise!) ballroom dance lessons. The film begins by contrasting Pierre's stiffly elegant world with that of his soon-to-be students; you know when it's inner city 'cause the camera shakes and there's hip-hop blaring. The students are a cast of B-listers and unknowns who manage to enliven cliched roles with charisma and sincerity. Pierre struggles to break past the kids' angsty facades, to give them a taste for old white-people music and to instill the hope of attaining ballroom glory at the annual student dance competition.
The rest of the film writes itself. Take the Lead is formulaic, cheesy -- and very entertaining. There were several beautifully choreographed (if implausibly realized) dance numbers, and the sweet hip-hop/old school mixes complemented the theme of cross-cultural harmony. If not for a love of dance and Cinderella stories, see Take the Lead for Rufio's big screen comeback (RU-FI-O! RU-FI-O!), Yaya from America's Next Top Model's acting debut ... and because Zorro 3 just ain't gonna happen.
