Essentially "Mad Hot Ballroom" for mallrats, "Take the Lead" takes its lead from the life of Pierre Dulaine, the debonair founder of the popular program that brought ballroom dancing to New York inner-city public schools. Upping the ages of the participants to high school level in order to bring more mature issues into the mix, veteran music video director Liz Friedlander and screenwriter Dianne Houston have come up with a hip-hop-flavored hybrid that attempts to rescore the classic American Songbook with street beats, but the resulting mash-up fails to dazzle on the dance floor. Taking her cue from a segment on CBS' "The Early Show" featuring Dulaine that predated the release of "Mad Hot Ballroom," scripter Houston has tailored a workable scenario for star Antonio Banderas, who plays the dance teacher/life mentor with an appealing combination of easy charisma and convincing passion.

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