Shall We Dance
Directed by:
Peter ChelsomScreenplay:
Audrey WellsCinematography:
John de BormanCast:
Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Ann Walter, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale, Omar Benson Miller, Richard Jenkins, Nick Cannon, Tamara Hope (more)Plots(1)
Romantic comedy starring Richard Gere as John Clark, a man with a wonderful job, a charming wife (Susan Sarandon) and a loving family, who nevertheless feels that something is missing as he makes his way every day through the city. Each evening on his commute, John sees an entrancing young teacher (Jennifer Lopez) staring with a lost expression through the window of a dance studio. Haunted by her gaze, John impulsively jumps off the train one night and signs up for dance lessons hoping to meet her. At first, it seems like a mistake. His teacher turns out to be not Paulina (Lopez), but the older Miss Mitzi (Anita Gillette), and John proves just as clumsy as his equally clueless classmates on the dance-floor. Even worse, when he does meet Paulina, she icily tells John she hopes he has come to the studio to seriously study dance and not to look for a date. But, as his lessons continue, John discovers that his attraction to Paulina pales in comparison to the invigorating effects of falling in love with dancing. Now, keeping his new obsession from family and co-workers, John feverishly trains for Chicago's biggest dance competition. His friendship with Paulina blossoms, as his enthusiasm rekindles her own lost passion for dance. But the more time John spends away from home, the more his wife becomes suspicious until she hires a private detective to uncover a possible affair. With his secret about to be revealed, John will have to do some fancy footwork to keep his dream going and realise what it is he really yearns for. (Optimum Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (3)
Dance is good. Dance is the meaning of life for someone. Dance helps to find a path to happiness, relationship harmony, and mental balance with oneself. So far, everything is fine. But for everything to be fine, the sweaty (and later beautifully gilded) physical flutter should not be overshadowed by an unbearable family stereotype full of melodramatic contemplations and lengthy complications. And last but not least, the object of desire and, above all, the means to achieve all that comfort should not be a Hispanic flexible, but hard-to-work wood.
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No matter how I try to think about this film, I cannot find any fault with it. That’s a bit chilling, considering the fact that it's a simple romantic musical comedy... But there’s just something to it, and I'm not afraid to consider it as something that has charge of Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom. When joy was being given out through Pretty Woman in the 1990s, I only married Richard then. ;)
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The smart and well-arranged plot, unfortunately, has no significant pull and strength and therefore it comes out purely average. Richard Gere is phenomenal and perfectly suited for these roles. Another great thing was that Jennifer Lopez surprisingly did not bother me here. The dance scenes are skillfully shot and have their own social charm, which will be appreciated primarily by older audiences. There is no dramatic romantic plot or similar escapades seen in the vast majority of romantic films of this kind. Everything here is done in a relaxed, more mature spirit and with the help of fantastic camera work, beautiful costumes, and a few truly unforgettable scenes. Shall We Dance can offer quite a pleasant evening.
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