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If 'Save The Last Dance' Was Released In 2016

Today marks the 15th year anniversary of the film's release.
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By 

Trends Reporter, HuffPost

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It's been 15 years since the first time audiences watched the interracial love story of Sara (Julia Stiles) and Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas) unfold through dance and high school drama in "Save The Last Dance." 

Although the 2001 film likely had fans rehearsing its most memorable dance scenes in front of a TV, it also touched on important issues of race and race relations that still impact us today. 

That's not to say things haven't changed in society since the film, directed by Thomas Carter, was released to theaters. It certainly has. Here's a look at what "Save The Last Dance" might've looked like if it was filmed and released in 2016.

1. Derek would be a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. 

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Archive Photos via Getty Images

Derek was a conscious high school student who memorably put his soon-to-be love interest in place during class when he argued about the lack of recognition of black authors like Richard Wright and James Baldwin. 

2. The gun and gang-related violence in Chicago and the fatal shootings of Tamir Rice and Laquan Mcdonald, among others, would be a part of the film's plot. 

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Scott Olson via Getty Images

The film's storyline is centered around Sara, a white midwestern teenage ballet dancer who moves to Chicago after her mother's fatal car crash.

And although gang, police and gun-related violence isn't a new issue in Chicago, movements like the Black Lives Matter movement has helped push these issues to public platforms and has been an influence in films like "Chi-Raq."

3. Sara wouldn't get away with certain hairstyles. 

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Archive Photos via Getty Images

Sara didn't exactly sport straight back cornrows, but some of her twists and braids meant to help her "fit in" in the predominately black Chicago high school and parties may have crossed boundaries on cultural appropriation.

Thanks to social media, celebrities like reality star Kylie Jenner, who has been called out for appropriating black culture, the issue is an ongoing hot topic. Today, there's a good chance the filmmakers would avoid the backlash altogether. 

4. Kerry Washington's character would teach Sara different slang.

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Screenshot Movie Clips

It's "slamming."

To be fair, new phrases and dances come out nearly every day and it's hard to keep up. So we forgive Chenille (Washington) in 2001 for telling Sara that the cool phrase was "slamming." It's "lit" now -- not slamming. 

5. The idea of their interracial relationship wouldn't be as taboo. 

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pixdeluxe via Getty Images

Studies have shown that interracial marriages have been on the rise in recent years, making it less stigmatized than a decade ago. 

According to the Pew Research center, 63 percent of Americans surveyed said they "would be fine" if a family member married outside of their race in 2013. 

6. Social media would be a key element throughout the film.

Sara's unforgettable fight with Derek's ex Nikki (Bianca Lawson) would have been filmed by iPhone and posted on YouTube. In the film, Derek found out about the fight by word of mouth. In 2016, he would've seen the clip for himself. 

Oh, the memories. 

Check out the scene where Chenille takes Sara to the club "Steps" for the first time: 

Also on HuffPost:

11 Things Black Activists Accomplished In 2015
1. Black Lives Matter leaders met with Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.(01 of11)
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Democratic presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders individually met with Black Lives Matter activists this year to discuss policing reform and racial injustice. The meetings marked significant moments which helped recognize the movement as a national political force. Both Clinton and Sanders spoke candidly about race and planned agendas to combat mass incarceration and criminal justice issues, which disproportionately affect black lives. In a separate meeting in November, mothers of slain black teens -- including Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, Tamir Rice and Michael Brown -- met with Hillary Clinton to discuss gun reform in America. (credit:Jessica McGowan via Getty Images)
2. The Say Her Name Campaign raised awareness about police violence against black women.(02 of11)
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Black women activists across the country led a national campaign this year to fight for the recognition and respect all black women deserve but don’t always receive. For so long, the concerns for their treatment and safety have been neglected -- as are the names of black women and girls who fell victim to many of the same issues that affect our black men and boys. The Say Her Name campaign, which was launched by several community organizations and gained major momentum earlier this year, changed that. Activists fought to include black women and girls as part of the national conversation around both racial and gender inequality. (credit:AAPF/Mia Fermindoza)
3. Mizzou student protests lead to university president's resignation.(03 of11)
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In November, black student activists at the University of Missouri rallied together to protest the racial issues that they claimed had plagued their campus for years. More than 30 black football players refused to return the football field because they were fed up with the casual, everyday forms of racism they said they faced. Days later, faculty, students and state lawmakers called for the university's president, Tim Wolfe, to leave. One student, Jonathan Butler, courageously started a hunger strike to protest the actions of the school’s president. Wolfe promptly resigned, signaling a significant moment for student-led activism and the fight for racial equality. (credit:Michael B. Thomas via Getty Images)
4. Campus racism protests forced schools to reckon with their racial history.(04 of11)
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The resignation of the former Mizzou president Tim Wolfe catalyzed a wave of campus racism protests at schools across the country. Black students everywhere spoke out about the casual racism they experience at school and forced faculty to take a deeper look at their concerns and the racial history on their respective campuses including those at Harvard, Brown, Yale and elsewhere. Protests were held, demands were made and some students were successful like at Georgetown where students successfully got administrators to rename buildings that once honored slaveowners. (credit:Ken Yanagisawa)
5. Activists protested the Confederate flag and fought for its removal from public spaces.(05 of11)
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On July 10, the confederate battle flag -- which has always stood as a symbol of white supremacy and racism -- was removed from the South Carolina statehouse. One activist in particular, Bree Newsome, scaled the pole outside of the statehouse and temporarily removed the flag in a powerful display of protest that she said was done “in defiance of the oppression that continues against black people in the southern United States.” As a result, petitions and protests popped up everywhere as activists demanded the removal of the flag from other public spaces. In one big victory, in October, students at Ole Miss University voted to remove the flag from their campus -- their demand was later upheld. (credit:Getty/HuffPost)
6. The issues of the black trans community became widely recognized.(06 of11)
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The danger and disrespect transgender people face is part of an ongoing and difficult journey -- and one that certainly does not escape trans people of color. Thanks to activists like Cherno Biko, Laverne Cox and Janet Mock, the voices of people of color in the trans community have been amplified. Mock brought national recognition to 17 tragic murders of trans women of color when she read aloud the names of these victims during a live broadcast on MSNBC in August. Black trans activists also joined forces with Black Lives Matter movement this year to ensure that all black lives matter. (credit:MSNBC)
7. Black students at the University of California prompted the school to pull out $30 million from prison investments.(07 of11)
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During this year's fall school semester, black students at the University of California rallied together to protest the university’s controversial $30 million investment into private prisons. On Friday, the school dropped the deal after meeting with students from the university’s Afrikan Black Coalition and listening to their demands. In a detailed letter written on Nov. 30, the student group wrote that the investments were “ethically embarrassing” and that private prisons turn “black, brown and immigrant bodies into profit under the guise of rehabilitation.” (credit:Getty)
8. The road where Sandra was stopped by police was renamed in her honor.(08 of11)
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Two months after Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell, local residents rallied together to demand her legacy live on. Bland died in police custody three days after she was arrested for a traffic violation in Waller County, Texas. Her death was ruled a suicide, but her family disputed the findings and have since filed a wrongful-death suit. In August, local protesters rallied together and marched to the city council building to demand the road where Bland was pulled over be renamed in her honor. The request was approved and the road, originally named University Boulevard, was changed to Sandra Bland Parkway. (credit:KENA BETANCUR via Getty Images)
9. Activists launched Campaign Zero to help combat police violence.(09 of11)
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In August, key leaders of the black lives matter movement came together to create Campaign Zero, a project that aims to combat cop violence by introducing a comprehensive list of proposals for police reform. The campaign digs deep into ways police -- both on the state and federal level -- can reduce their racial bias, undergo better training and wear body cameras at all times to help prevent police violence against black Americans. (credit:Campaign Zero)
10. Black musicians banded together for a benefit concert around racial inequality.(10 of11)
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Many musicians have used their voices for much more than music. Some like John Legend and Pharrell have effectively used their talents and platforms to speak out -- and sing -- about the racial injustices that plague the black community. In November, some of music’s biggest and vocal stars teamed up for a one-night benefit concert on the A&E Network titled, “Shining a Light: A Concert for Progress on Race in America.” Through the power of performance, the black voices that graced the stage that night aimed to highlight how “the uncomfortable truth racial inequality and bias still impact our society.” (credit:getty)
11. Activists launched the Police Union Contract Project to help ‘check the police.’(11 of11)
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Activists have been keeping busy this year to provide independent platforms to “check the police,” which is exactly what the Police Union Contract project aims to do. The project, which launched in December and was founded by four key black lives matter leaders. It aims to take a detailed look at police contracts and how they fail to hold cops accountable. The platform is part of the movement’s Campaign Zero project and helps to tackle the broader, blistering issue of police violence against black Americans. (credit:Getty)

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