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 | Teacher | Beautiful Woman | Love | Ballroom Dancing

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:

The filming location was moved to Winnipeg from Toronto because of the SARS "scare" in early 2003.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Janji Joni (2005)

Soundtrack:

Taking a Ride

Lost in translation

One of the worst things anyone can do is to try to tackle something that was made better. Hollywood doesn't seem to learn its lesson at all. In trying to "Americanize" the great Japanese film of the same name, the film makers had no idea what they were getting into. In fact, the original film, directed with great flair by Masoyuki Suo, loses all its charm with this reincarnation.

That said, this edition of "Shall we Dance" directed by Peter Chelsom, is not a horrible movie, but the freshness and subtleness of its Japanese model was lost in the translation. While the Japanese version was light and captivating, this adaptation is a bit heavy handed. The editing of the film has a lot to do with out enjoyment, and when the dance sequences in the competition are clumsily handled as it's the case here, one wonders what could the creators have been looking at?

The idea of seeing Richard Gere as the man who is intrigued by the dancing he sees as he passes the dance academy, is not as credible as one would have expected to be. Mr. Gere is versatile enough as he already showed with his role in "Chicago". The idea of his character pulling the wool over his wife Beverly's eyes doesn't come across as too credible. It seems to be a cultural difference that a Japanese wife might be less vocal and accepting a straying husband than in this country by an American wife. That's basically the fatal flaw with the movie, in our humble opinion.

Jennifer Lopez comes across better. As Paulina she shows a professional attitude toward her students, but her chemistry with Richard Gere doesn't create any sparks. Susan Sarandon, as Beverly, the wife who suspects her husband's betrayal, underplays her role with better results than some of her late screen appearances. Stanley Tucci's character is irritating, at best and Lisa Ann Walters does what she can with Bobbie.

Since you probably have seen this version, take a chance and rent the original Japanese film and compare.