Shall We Dance? (2004)

I love this movie so much

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Everything about this film sucks. The plot is weak, acting terrible and there are no twists or surprises. My wife watches loads of romcoms that I also consequently see but this makes me despair. Without giving away the plot, it's predictable and just best avoided. Such a shame given the big name cast.

Yes, indeed, this movie didn't display much eroticism. It wasn't meant to be erotic. Yes, agreed, this movie doesn't cover any new ground or new techniques. It was quite appropriate to work with things that have been tried in the past - in different ways - once again, and yes, by all means, things worked out in the end the way they so seldom do in films of our time, much to my surprise. It was a happy ending to (basically) a happy movie and there's nothing whatsoever in the world wrong with that. Even more, it's handled well on all levels - acting, script, music, dancing, color, camera movement...It's a film that fulfilled a need that many of us feel when the world doesn't go where we want it to go. It simply moves the world!

Shall We Dance? (2004): Dir: Peter Chelsom / Cast: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Richard Jenkins: Romantic comedy about invitation or risk. Richard Gere is bored with his routine life and marriage. He arrives home by subway but always gazes upward towards the dance studio where Jennifer Lopez stands motionless. He secretly enrolls in ballroom dancing thus giving him fulfillment but his wife suspects foul play and hires an investigator. While repetitious the setup is catchy and the ending is rewarding. Director Peter Chelsom does a fine job at examining ballroom dancing within the relationship established but Jennifer Lopez is disappointing in a stiff performance. She begins the film as an image observed in a window with a blank gaze on her face. From there it is pretty straightforward for her. Gere has fun as a guy stepping into a hidden passion that will ultimately prove rewarding. Susan Sarandon is well cast as his suspicious wife who is speechless to the sudden new behavior from her husband. Stanley Tucci steals scenes as Gere's boss who secretly dances donning a wig. That of course, gives way to lame homosexual stereotypes but Tucci wings it. Richard Jenkins plays a private investigator hired by Sarandon, who will be flustered at the facts he unearths. Celebration of dancing and its inner circle relationships result in a charming film. Score: 8 ½ / 10

Actually, if I hadn't seen the original Japanese version, I probably would have given this a higher rating. However, it didn't quite compare to the original, which was simpler and more charming. I like both versions well enough to watch more than once. I thought Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon were good. Detective Devine was a little lacking compared to his Japanese counterpart simply because you wouldn't expect the Japanese detective to respond the way he did to the surveillance. Jennifer Lopez was the weak link in this story; her character wasn't as developed as the Japanese, and her performance was one-dimensional. She didn't bring enough personality to the part to be the big catalyst the story line demands. Other than her weak performance, I thought it was a pretty good movie.