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Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: A predictable and yet thoroughly enjoyable drama about the redemptive power of dance for a group of inner-city teenagers. Read more
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: The latest ballroom dance-fever picture isn't very good, but some of the dancing is fun. Read more
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper: It's just ridiculous, it's just ridiculous. One cliche right after another. Not for one second did I believe any of this. Read more
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: A harmless crowd-pleaser that may overstay its welcome (closing in on two hours), but, for the most part, keeps on its toes. Read more
Keith Phipps, AV Club: "[Eventually] contrived conflicts force Banderas to the sidelines, and it all starts to live up to the phony uplift promised by the title." Read more
Randy Cordova, Arizona Republic: The filmmakers who dreamed up Take the Lead probably got a bonus for coming up with such a marketable concept. Mix a little Dangerous Minds with a bit of Save the Last Dance and, voila, a flick with across-the-board appeal. Read more
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: As sweet and well-meaning as parts of the movie are, the filmmakers don't appear to trust their teenage audience to take this world seriously. Read more
Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle: Like its star, the movie verges on hooey but cuts too stylish a swath to dislike for long. Read more
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor: Banderas cuts a romantic figure, but the film is pure hokum. Read more
Michael Booth, Denver Post: Take the Lead is the latest example of a silly and utterly predictable movie where the kids dance in the streets and we pray for a fleet of Humvees to come along and run them out of town. Read more
Tom Long, Detroit News: What slop. Take the Lead is a rotted ground chuck of a movie, made up of the rancid processed parts of a plethora of films, good and bad, that have come before it. At first it seems awfully familiar, and then it just seems awful. Read more
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: 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 more
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press: A well-made if utterly unsurprising movie, which has its feet and its heart in the right place. Read more
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News: The eye-popping dance numbers and affecting performances by the young leads, as well as Mr. Banderas and Ms. Woodard, make it worth the ride. Read more
Chuck Wilson, L.A. Weekly: There, the music shifts from Lena Horne to hip hop Gershwin remixes, and on to a dance-off finale and closing credit sequence that's the only rousing part of this movie. Read more
Jan Stuart, Newsday: What the [public school] system and its culturally underfunded student body probably don't need is inspired-by-true-events claptrap like Take the Lead. Read more
Lisa Rose, Newark Star-Ledger: The performances deserve applause. The script is another story. Read more
Jami Bernard, New York Daily News: Take the Lead is like that -- it may seem hokey, but it uses the tried and true to get a smile out of you every time. Read more
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: Cute as a boutonniere and bouncy as a swing beat, Take the Lead is an 'inspired by a true story' spin on Mad Hot Ballroom. Read more
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Antonio Banderas is reason enough to see the movie. Read more
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com: While we may be able to pretty much guess everything that's going to happen in Take the Lead, its considerable charm lies in the way it fulfills, rather than bucks, our expectations. Read more
Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle: Although based on a true story, Take the Lead continually strains credibility. Read more
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: If hokiness were a fatal flaw, Take the Lead would be dead from the opening note, yet this feel-good musical drama is irresistibly endearing. Read more
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Si, Antonio is a charming man, but by the final bows the movie around him is all left feet and bruised angles, and much more of a farrago than a fandango. Read more
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Take the Lead is pure entertainment, if only for the endless amusement of watching Banderas spread the gospel of ballroom like he was born wearing a tuxedo. Read more
Anna Smith, Time Out: While their transformation is predictable, it's quietly enjoyable, and the teen angle opens the door to romance and gritty gang-war subplots. Read more
Claudia Puig, USA Today: Think of it as the fictionalized version of last year's engaging documentary Mad Hot Ballroom, with teen dancers and sexier moves. It is also more formulaic and cliched, thanks to the predictable plot and theme. Read more
John Anderson, Variety: [Take the Lead] hits all its marks, but never dazzles anyone with its footwork. Read more
Sarah Kaufman, Washington Post: The film is long on flashy dance sequences and short on depth, character and craft. Read more