Shall We Dance (2004)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

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)
¿Bailamos? (Argentina) (Chile) [es]
Darf ich bitten? (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Aska davet (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Dança Comigo? (Brazil) [pt]
Kas tantsime? (Estonia) [et]
Saanko luvan? (Finland) [fi]
Shall We Dance? (Italy) [it]
Shall we dance? (¿Bailamos?) (Spain) [es]
Shall we dance? La nouvelle vie de Monsieur Clark (France) [fr]
Si on dansait? (Canada: French title) [fr]

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:

Boom mic visible: When John Clark first sits down at Miss Mitzi's Dance School, the boom mic's shadow falls on Vern's face.

Quotes:

Bobbie: ...and stop looking at my ass.
John Clark: I'll try.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Benchwarmers (2006)

Soundtrack:

Espana Cani

Shall We Dance? Of Course !

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.