Take the Lead

Take the Lead centers on Pierre Dulaine, a ballroom dancer in New York who offers to teach at a public high school in a disadvantaged neighborhood. His classical training immediately clashes with the hip-hop tastes of the students he is assigned, particularly Rock, a young man he encounters after a destructive act. The school's principal is skeptical, and the students resist his old-fashioned approach. Over time, Dulaine's persistence and his genuine interest in the students' own culture lead to a fusion of ballroom and hip-hop, and the group sets its sights on a citywide dance competition.

The film is directed by Liz Friedlander and written by Dianne Houston, with a cast led by Antonio Banderas as Dulaine, alongside Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Alfre Woodard, John Ortiz and Laura Benanti. It is based on the real Pierre Dulaine's work with New York students and was released in March 2006.

Produced by New Line Cinema and Tiara Blu Films for a budget of about 30 million dollars, the film earned around 66 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a 6.6 rating from roughly 27,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.9 from a much smaller base of about 760 votes. A critics' score of 5.7 from 121 reviews places it slightly below the audience ratings.