Save the Last Dance (2001)

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Save the Last Dance Cover

Save the Last Dance, was released by Paramount Pictures on January 12, 2001. The romance-comedy-drama movie was produced by MTV Productions, directed by Thomas Carter and written by Duane Adler and Cheryl Edwards. Starring Julia Stiles as Sara and Sean Patrick Thomas as Derek, an African-American teenager who falls in love with different racial backgrounds because of sharing the same interests of dancing.

Plot

A white midwestern girl, Sara had given up on her dream to become a professional ballerina because of the sudden death of her mother in a car accident. She moved in with her estranged father to Chicago where he lives in the suburban black neighborhood. Moving from Midwestern town to the south side of Chicago, making her transfer to a predominantly African-American school and becoming one of a few white students there. Later, she becomes friends with Chenille, and falls in love with Derek, Chenille's brother. Derek is a black teen from the South Side with a semi-criminal past who has passion in Hip Hop dancing. They started dating for sharing the same interest in dancing.

Save the Last Dance, Sara and Derek.jpg

Controversy

According to thelist.com, there are two main points in regards with Black people based on the movie.

Black people are portrayed as stereotype of vast majority in community

The female main character thinks that black people are commonly to be single young parents. It is because at one scene when Chenille's grandmother carries Chenille's son. Another supporting scene when Sara asks Derek if he has one.

The type of cool guys among white people are supposed to be coming from their race. Shown when Sara says she met a cool guy from school, her friends automatically assume that it must be a white guy by asking if there are white guys because her friends never imagined that Sara could date someone outside her race.

Throughout the movie, the racial stereotype of men in black community was shown when Derek's sister, Chenille says that he is, "one of the few decent men we have left after jail, drugs, and drive-by." Also, the main actor portrayed as a skilled hip hop dancer.

Interracial relationships in the 2000s

One major conflict in the movie is the interracial romance between Sara and Derek, in which many people against it, "We spend more time defending our relationship than actually having one," Sara tells Derek. It can be a reason why one of Derek’s friends, Malakai, who constantly faces law issues, is not supportive about their relationship. Even Chenille and Sara’s friends do not think that they belong to each other.

In one notable scene shows how the interracial relationship still taboo in the society when a woman looks in disgust the couple on the train, clearly pointed that practically illegal to see a black man an a white woman together. While, it is possible that people still disapprove of interracial relationships. However, it is quite strange that the practice still taboo in major diverse city in the 21st century. [1]

Quoted from the Huffpost, according to the Pew Research center on a survey of Americans, 63% said that it is acceptable if a family member having a interracial marriage in 2013. [2]

References