Shall We Dance?

Americanization of the hit 1996 movie from Japan features Richard Gere as a Chicago lawyer (supposedly overworked, yet we never see him break a sweat) who takes dance lessons at night without telling his wife--she gets suspicious and hires a private detective. Brightly-painted balderdash, wasting Susan Sarandon as the spouse and turning all the supporting characters into cartoony caricatures (often at the expense of the poor actors). The script, flabby and mean-spirited, features one witless meet-cute after another. Jennifer Lopez is lost in the vacuous role of a substitute dance teacher--always standing by a window, bathed in red light--who trades gibberish lines with Richard Gere that sound as if the screenwriter neither understands English nor Japanese! This is one wasted opportunity, deluding Gere's natural charisma while giving the term 'star vehicle' a bad name. *1/2 from ****

I love ballroom dancing and am a fan of J.Lo., too, this film was a real joy to see. Richard Gere is getting older and older again, but it was nice to see him in a role that fits his age. The two of them just made me remember those movies of Audrey Hepburn, in which she had very aged partners in her first movies. The whole movie was to me like a French film, with no so much action but beautiful pictures, strong impression, characteristic atmosphere - many moments when you just have to sit, watch, and feel. I also liked the idea that Gere gets back to his wife in the end, but J.Lo. also gets her dance, everyone is happy. There have been a number of unpolished spots, too, but I can forgive them this time. Shall We Dance was really the kind of movie I expected, a relaxing 90 minutes with an enjoyable setup and some rhythm that makes you feel to join a dancing course. 9/10

When I first saw the commercials, I was intrigued by this film, even though I have never liked Richard Gere. I like Jennifer Lopez's singing, but I have never seen her act before. Also, being a big fan of Flashdance & Thank God it's Friday. I absolutely loved this movie. It was sweet, romantic, intelligently-written & very enjoyable. Probably one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time . I would recommend it to anyone who likes romantic movies. If you enjoyed Ghost, or Up close & personal, I suspect you'll love this movie , as much as I do. I just wish I could give it an 11!

Rarely does one see an American version of a foreign film that is as satisfying as "Shall We Dance", perhaps it's because it's possible to identify with virtually every character in the film at some level. Richard Gere is persuasive as a professional man having a mid-life crisis and charming in his shyness as he decides to learn ballroom dancing; Susan Sarandon is perfect as his first oblivious, then perplexed, wife, and Jennifer Lopez is very fine as the dance instructor at Miss Mitzi's. The tango scene between Gere and Lopez is glorious, and the waltzes are elegant. The film's supporting characters are as talented and noteworthy as the leads. "Shall We Dance" is one of the rare contemporary films that makes one want to see it again -- and to take up ballroom dancing.

This was a decent movie. It will never be as good as the original but it was effective and made you feel good in the end. This is the third Chelsom film I have seen. I didn't see the British movies that brought him the most acclaim but only Town and Country, Serendipity and now this one. The first was clearly a disaster. The latter two should not have worked but they do. Chelsom depends very much on the charisma of his actors to pull off his movies combined with the whimsy he adds with his direction. With that being said, Gere is very effective in his role. It is his character's likability that sells this movie combined with the colorful supporting actors that show up in Chelsom's movies that provide the final sell for the movie. I predict this movie will spawn an increase in dancing lessons. Like the movie Serendipity, people will leave this movie feeling there is magic in the air and seek out ways to find the magic in their own lives...