Shall We Dance (2004)

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Writers (WGA):

Masayuki Suo (1997 screenplay)
Audrey Wells (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Step out of the ordinary

Plot:

A romantic comedy where a bored, overworked Estate Lawyer, upon first sight of a beautiful instructor, signs up for ballroom dancing lessons.

Plot Keywords:

Dance | Love | Teacher | Dance Studio | Lawyer

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Richard Gere	...	John Clark
Jennifer Lopez	...	Paulina
Susan Sarandon	...	Beverly Clark
Lisa Ann Walter	...	Bobbie
Stanley Tucci	...	Link
Anita Gillette	...	Miss Mitzi
Bobby Cannavale	...	Chic
Omar Benson Miller	...	Vern (as Omar Miller)
Tamara Hope	...	Jenna Clark
Stark Sands	...	Evan Clark
Richard Jenkins	...	Devine
Nick Cannon	...	Scott
Sarah Lafleur	...	Carolyn
Onalee Ames	...	Diane
Diana Salvatore	...	Tina

Also Known As:

Shall We Dance? (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and brief language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2005) | UK:12A (original rating) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:G (Quebec) | South Korea:12 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Ireland:12 | Netherlands:AL | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40888) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

About $4,000 worth of jewelry worn by Susan Sarandon during the filming of the movie was stolen and recovered at murder scene in Winnipeg on 4 July 2003. According to news sources, the jewelry was stolen from a vehicle on the movie set and found in a downtown hotel room.

Goofs:

Continuity: When John searches for ballroom dancing websites online, the search box says "ballroom dance" but when the search screen comes up, it reads "search results for ballroom dancing"

Quotes:

Bobbie: So why did you all start dancing?
Vern: I'm getting married in September. My bride said she'd like to see me lose a few pounds, thought the dancing might be good exercise. I told her it wouldn't work.
[waitress gives him a hamburger and fries]
John Clark: I think you're gonna win that bet.
Chic: I'm here for the ladies, you know what they say about guys that can dance...
Bobbie: Yeah, that they're great in bed.
Chic: Right.
Bobbie: Where do you hear this crap?
Chic: Everywhere, everywhere the guys that can dance get the pick of the litter.
Bobbie: I'm here for the big dance competition. All I need is a partner.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

The Book of Love

Enjoyable but Forgettable

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.