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

The movie playing on the TV in the background is The Band Wagon (1953), a classic dance musical.

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Goofs

When Evan asks John to go to the bar, John places his hand on Evan's shoulder. In the next shot, both hands are at his side.

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Quotes

Devine: It's possible that we could find your husband neck deep in potpourri investing things.

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Connections

Referenced in Janji Joni (2005)

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Soundtracks

Perfidia
(1939)
Written by Alberto Domínguez
Arranged by John Altman
Produced by Ric Wake and Richie Jones for Wake Productions
Mixed by Dan Hetzel at Cove City Sound Studios, L.I., New York
Instruments & Programming: Eric Kupper & Richie Jones
Recorded by Dave Scheuer (as "Young" Dave Scheuer)
Production coordinator: Marc Russell

User Reviews

Romantic and life affirming

I do not remember when was the last time I left the movie theater with such positive feelings and in such a good mood as after seeing this movie. Having not seen the Japanese original and having known only that the movie did not perform extremely well in the US, I did not know what to expect when I went in. I was very pleasantly surprised. The movie is very entertaining, sweet and kind in commenting on people's little quirks. Emotionally there is not a single false moment. And there a couple of genuinely funny moments (none better than the Gere-Tucci moment in the men's room). It does help, I guess, if you are over forty (like myself) to understand the yearning of the main character (Gere) who has no reason NOT to be happy in his life, yet he cannot help but missing "something". I loved all the little stories of the supporting characters and I loved the fact that the movie took the time to wrap up all the stories in the end. I guess the movie underperformed because it was seen as a star vehicle whereas it is more an ensemble piece. That is not to say that Gere, Sarandon or Lopez are miscast. Not at all, in fact now that I have seen the movie twice, it is difficult to imagine a different cast, they all seem to be perfectly chosen for their parts. But it is really the supporting cast which really makes the movie work. It is difficult to chose just one, but Stanley Tucci is quite exquisite in his role. Though the movie is rather light in its tone, Sarandon character's observations on the reason why people get married is rather interesting and stays with you after leaving the theater. I hope Peter Chelsom will continue making movies like „Serendipity" and this one: there are definitely not enough movies of this kind around anymore. This is a movie I will return to each time I will be feeling down. And a special mention goes to the soundtrack. Chelsom seems to really have a hand for picking the right tunes (Serendipity soundtrack is one of the best movie soundtracks ever) and here the choice of the music really helps to define the emotional core of the movie.