Shall We Dance (2004)

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

Director:

Peter Chelsom

Writers:

Masayuki Suo, Audrey Wells (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

John Clark is a middle aged Chicago estate lawyer. He loves his family, which includes his wife Beverly, but their combined busy schedules and getting caught in a rut after two decades of marriage has left him feeling unfulfilled. While taking the el train home every night, he notices the same young, beautiful contemplative woman staring out of one of the windows of Miss Mitzi's Dance Studio, which specializes in ballroom. He is intrigued enough with her beauty and sadness to go in one evening on his way home. He learns that she is Paulina, one of the instructors and a former world class ballroom dancer. Because of her, he signs up for beginner group dance lessons, regardless of them being taught by Miss Mitzi herself, and not Paulina. As time progresses, John gets caught up in the lives of those at Miss Mitzi's: his two fellow classmates - overweight Vern who wants to learn to dance for his upcoming wedding, and Chic, who wants to impress the ladies - and two of the studio's ...

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Plot Keywords:

female butt jiggle | dance | dance studio | woman | dance lesson | 

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Taglines:

Step out of the ordinary

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shall We Dance?

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Remake of 1996 Japanese movie with the same title, writer, and director.

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Goofs

When Richard Gere's character is at home washing his SUV, the car is covered in soap suds but the driver's window is wide open.

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Quotes

Link Peterson: [after wowing the hecklers at his job] Fuck you all...
[walks back to office room]
Link Peterson: And football sucks.

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Connections

Referenced in Janji Joni (2005)

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Soundtracks

Mambo Ni Habler
Written and Performed by Dámaso Pérez Prado (as Perez Prado)
Courtesy of Roba Music c/o Next Decade Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Chelson's atrocity against the Japanese

The central tension in the original Japanese Shall We Dance is that the main character is a dork, a nerd, a nebbish that has to overcome social taboos to pursue his passion.

Since neither apply to suave Richard Gere in the socially unfettered USA, Chelsom resorts instead to a commentary on materialism. A nice try, but a pale imitation. Without the central tension, the film is effectively castrated.

The large cast of quirky but likable characters don't quite work and come off as flat and stereotypical, the one exception is the PI's preternaturally wise assistant who gets far too few lines.

The only redeeming point of the adaptation is Susan Sarandon's performance despite the poor writing, and watching Jennifer Lopez dance. Lopez fully embraces the venerable dance of ballroom and truly invigorates it with her raw sensuality. A delight to watch.