“Take the Lead” may bear little resemblance to the story of its “inspiration,” Pierre Dulaine, the man who brought ballroom dance to the New York City school system. But he can’t really complain too much. Mr. Dulaine does get to be portrayed by Antonio Banderas.

Mr. Banderas was presumably cast for his bedroom eyes and his Spanish accent, but he subverts expectations by playing not some ersatz Romeo but rather a dignified, formal man. His surprisingly understated performance is the only subtle thing in “Take the Lead,” a movie where the black kids worry about being raped or murdered and the white kids worry about cotillions. Despite the sham stereotypes all around him, Mr. Banderas remains an unshakably authentic presence – the lone person in a sea of cartoons.

In point of fact, Pierre Dulaine’s students are elementary school kids, some of whom were seen in last year’s documentary hit, “Mad Hot Ballroom.” For the teen market (and, no doubt, the fans of “Dancing With the Stars”) the story has been transplanted to an inner city high school, the kind with metal detectors and a principal who’s seen too many kids die (Alfre Woodard).

Here, in the soundstage-like detention hall, the worst offenders in a New York City public high school melt before the Old World chivalry of the debonair Pierre. A white, wealthy debutante with two left feet discovers she “feels better” about her bad dancing when surrounded by a group of extremely musical, hyper-coordinated Harlem kids. A sour-faced teacher nearly shuts down the dance program, until Pierre charms the PTA. Pierre trains these beginners to challenge for the citywide championship in a posh hotel ballroom.

Fortunately, there’s a lot of dancing. Director Liz Friedlander, a music video veteran, keeps the quick cuts and the thumping bass tracks coming. The film’s fantasy sections of hip-hop, ballroom, and hip-hop-infused ballroom are enjoyable, if marred by more unrealistic plot points that make you roll your eyes.

The sheer fun of watching good dancing seems reason enough to make a movie. It’s unclear why “Take the Lead” felt compelled to take on a high moralistic tone, splicing its kinetic dance sequences with scenes of stereotypical inner-city melodrama (mom’s prostitution, dad’s addiction, son’s criminal activity). Mr. Banderas’s Dulaine is an interesting guy, but he does little to illuminate the nature of mentorship.The lumbering plot makes him contradict himself: He tells parents that ballroom will teach their teenagers respect for each other’s bodies, then applauds proudly at the dance competition as his students gyrate through a simulated threesome.

The only element that gets off the ground is the movie’s one sincere idea – that some kids love to dance, maybe so much that while they’re doing it, they’re in a better place in their heads. “When I’m dancing,” says one beaten-down girl, “I’m in my moment.” If “Take the Lead” could have stayed in that moment, it might have been half as good as “Mad Hot Ballroom.”