Take the Lead
New Line Cinema | Release Date: April 7, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
55
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
18
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Antonio Banderas is reason enough to see the movie. Read full review
75
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Though screenwriter Dianne Houston spent time observing the real-life Dulaine, her screenplay is a showcase for triumph-of-the-underdog sports-movie cliches and coming-of-age-through-adversity moral lessons. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Take the Lead hits all the marks you'd expect of a movie like this, but it's done vibrantly and with warm-blooded characters. Read full review
75
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
Surprisingly charming and well-acted. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This inspirational vehicle, based on a true story, is as hokey as it sounds, and it sometimes cuts too fast to allow us to see the dancing properly. But as in "Saturday Night Fever," the sense of reality giving way to fantasy on a dance floor is potent, and writer Dianne Houston and director Liz Friedlander are so sincere that they make much of it work. Read full review
70
SalonStephanie Zacharek
Its considerable charm lies in the way it fulfills, rather than bucks, our expectations. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
It's a very slight and forgettable affair, and a formula job all the way. But it's easy to watch, the dance sequences are sporadically enjoyable (if hardly innovative) and Antonio Banderas is wonderfully magnetic and charming in the lead. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Inspired by a true story (translation: a lot of it is made up), the movie shucks its corn straight from the cob. But it's no less engaging for that, thanks to the enthusiasm of the young cast and the fusion of classic dance with hip-hop moves courtesy of Rich and Tone Talauega. Read full review
63
USA TodayClaudia Puig
The movie's best moments are between Banderas and the kids. When the plot shifts to reveal the students' back stories (one has a prostitute mother, another a drunken father), the story becomes a melodramatic rehash of other movies, like "Fame" or "Rent." Read full review
63
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
What keeps this from cloying? Universally good performances, led by Banderas' blazing intensity. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
At one point, Dulaine takes the students to his studio and they look up at the mirrored disco ball glittering above the dance floor. "Corny, but cool," says one of the sweathogs. My feelings about the film precisely. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Things hold together longer than they would have without Banderas' commanding, committed performance. Read full review
60
VarietyJohn Anderson
Well-intentioned, feel-good urban tale. Read full review
60
Village VoiceLuke Y. Thompson
It's no surprise to anyone who's seen his Robert Rodriguez films that Banderas works well with kids. But it may surprise those who saw "Evita" that he can make a music-and-dance movie that doesn't suck. Read full review
60
EmpireHelen O'Hara
There are some decent performances from the motley crew of students, and Banderas does well despite an underwritten role. But the breakout star here is the dance. Read full review
60
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
To their credit, screenwriter Dianne Houston and director Liz Friedlander (both making their feature debuts) go relatively easy on the urban-life clichés and instead stick tight to dance class. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
Corny and uncool. Initially, it doesn't matter. Banderas is so winning in the lead that the film's early scenes are almost as persuasive as one of his lectures. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
It's Banderas' film all the way, of course: he's one of those genuinely gifted, glowing actors who can nevertheless hold your attention through sheer onscreen charisma. Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
The latest ballroom dance-fever picture isn't very good, but some of the dancing is fun. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Take the Lead, despite its nifty concept and fiery leading man, feels sloppy and rushed. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
Take the Lead mixes classical dance with hip-hop gyrations and features perhaps the most scrubbed set of delinquents since "West Side Story." Read full review
50
New York PostKyle Smith
Johnny can't read, but he sure can rumba - and that's just fine with Take the Lead. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
An energetic young cast, consisting of a mix of professional dancers and actors who do convincing imitations of Arthur Murray graduates, is positively inspired in numbers combining traditional ballroom steps with hip-hop. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The whole thing has all the spontaneity of high-school morning announcements. Read full review
50
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Put the tango in "To Sir, With Love," and you've got Take the Lead. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
The movie partners all the cliches of the inner-city school drama with the cliches of the dance instructional, and the two keep stomping on each other's toes. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
One of the year's most uninspired inspirational stories. Read full review
50
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
There's no denying Banderas' talent as an actor, and he's admittedly fun to watch. The rest of the cast are serviceable, meaning Woodard finds new ways to show us how this Latin heartthrob melts her icy exterior. Read full review
40
Washington PostSarah Kaufman
The young cast members are full of attitude and heart. But the film is long on flashy dance sequences and short on depth, character and craft. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Antonio Banderas is a charming and talented man, but in Take the Lead he lays on the old-world panache so thick - the accent, the flowery courtliness, the romance of romance - that he comes off like Dracula's metrosexual cousin. Read full review
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