Shall We Dance (2004)

Shall We Dance doesn't break any new ground but those who just want a good time will find it with this film. Richard Gere plays John Clark, a lawyer who feels the need to spice up his stagnating marriage (to Susan Sarandon, no less) by taking ballroom dance lessons from a beautiful and mysterious younger woman (Jennifer Lopez). The plot is okay it just sounds kind of boring. The movie for the most part isn't boring. Its actually quite entertaining. I have never seen the original so I can't compare the two but the original is probably better. I was expecting this film to be horrible as the trailer and early buzz weren't that good but they must have fixed the problems. The cast is pretty good with the best being Susan Sarandon. She does a very good job and she has a fair amount of screen time. Richard Gere does a good job playing John, nothing great but nothing terrible either. Jennifer Lopez's performance isn't very strong and the role didn't really seem to fit her. She gets by with an average performance though. The rest of the supporting cast are very funny and they keep this film moving. Out of all of them, Stanley Tucci was probably the best as Link. His performance of trying to be a young dancer was very funny. There are other interesting characters as well that are in the dance school and are fun to watch them. Peter Chelsom directs and he sure knows how to make this type of film work as he directed the very entertaining Serendipity. The only problem with this film is that its too predictable. Its very by the numbers and doesn't even try to stray away from the familiar path that most romantic comedies take. There was also a lack of chemistry between Lopez and Gere so there scenes together weren't very good or interesting. The running time of 106 minutes goes by fast. The dancing itself was actually pretty good. It wasn't the best but it wasn't terrible either. In the end, this is better then most romantic comedies that have come out in the past year and this film can be enjoyed if your just looking for a good time. Rating 7/10, entertaining but forgettable.

Fmovies: 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.

Shall We Dance fmovies. One of the worst things anyone can do is to try to tackle something that was made better. Hollywood doesn't seem to learn its lesson at all. In trying to "Americanize" the great Japanese film of the same name, the film makers had no idea what they were getting into. In fact, the original film, directed with great flair by Masoyuki Suo, loses all its charm with this reincarnation.

That said, this edition of "Shall we Dance" directed by Peter Chelsom, is not a horrible movie, but the freshness and subtleness of its Japanese model was lost in the translation. While the Japanese version was light and captivating, this adaptation is a bit heavy handed. The editing of the film has a lot to do with out enjoyment, and when the dance sequences in the competition are clumsily handled as it's the case here, one wonders what could the creators have been looking at?

The idea of seeing Richard Gere as the man who is intrigued by the dancing he sees as he passes the dance academy, is not as credible as one would have expected to be. Mr. Gere is versatile enough as he already showed with his role in "Chicago". The idea of his character pulling the wool over his wife Beverly's eyes doesn't come across as too credible. It seems to be a cultural difference that a Japanese wife might be less vocal and accepting a straying husband than in this country by an American wife. That's basically the fatal flaw with the movie, in our humble opinion.

Jennifer Lopez comes across better. As Paulina she shows a professional attitude toward her students, but her chemistry with Richard Gere doesn't create any sparks. Susan Sarandon, as Beverly, the wife who suspects her husband's betrayal, underplays her role with better results than some of her late screen appearances. Stanley Tucci's character is irritating, at best and Lisa Ann Walters does what she can with Bobbie.

Since you probably have seen this version, take a chance and rent the original Japanese film and compare.

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...

What a match-up of performers! Richard Gere with Susan Sarandon - very strange initially, but very successful. While we typically identify Mr. Gere with younger, more stereotypically "beautiful" actors, his pairing with Ms. Sarandon was most fitting with his role in this film.

As he attempted to connect with himself, the natural entry of Jennifer Lopez into his life was perfect. It was great to see the two characters go from one end of the spectrum to another - hoping to see it go all the way. While initially disappointing (really wanted to see them together), it was a very do-able end result.

Of course, the dancing and music were a great focal point to the story -I loved seeing Mr. Gere and Ms. Lopez doing their "thing." The statistics of the voting on this site for this film were most puzzling. One can only surmise that there were a great many voters who lack a great deal of romance in their souls. Further, as many voters must have lacked an appreciation of great music and dancing.

Clearly, one of the most enjoyable films of 2004.