SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Sophoclaw I know this film is from 2004, but it just happens that I have just seen it on TV. And it really made an impact on me, because first I thought it was extremely boring and I changed the channel several times, but there was nothing else worth seeing, I mean the alternative would've been the news! God help me, not on this time! So I had to continue watching the film and suddenly I thought it was very funny even though the film is not supposed to be funny, more like a light comedy. Some scenes were so ridiculous that I saw myself laughing both of the scene and the characters and the story. It's; you know like the middle aged professional lawyer that has an extremely boring family and job, he doesn't care for his wife but suddenly he sees a beautiful dance instructor through the train window which motivates him to change all his way of life. He just didn't know that he was a dancing talent like Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly! And this fabulous woman makes him see it just by swinging a little in the floor, and pang! he can dance Argentinian tango, American fox trot, waltz from Vienna, you name it; it was a miracle I was astonished. But I must admit it was a little frustrating that there is no real conclusion, I mean, like, there was this dancing contest that everybody was so interested in….. and we never see the ending of it so we will never know who won the contest! Oh; I know, they are surely filming a "Shall We Dance II" where we will know who won! So if you are bored go and look at it. Its surely worth the trouble to have your eyes open.

Python Hyena 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

tomsview "Shall We Dance" succeeds because it avoids predictability and goes in a direction you don't expect. Richard Gere is John Clark, a lawyer who leads a safe life. His wife, Beverly, played by Susan Sarandon, calls most of the shots in their marriage, and the people in the office where he works pick on people who do not conform to the norm. Each night as John Clark commutes home on the train, he notices a woman sitting in the window of a dance studio. One night when she isn't there, he gets off the train to investigate. He enters Miss Mitzi's dance studio, and almost despite himself, enrols for lessons.Miss Mitzi's is a rather run-down establishment, and not as funky as the popular studio downtown. However, from the start John becomes involved in the lives of the other students and the teachers. Everyone at the studio is pursuing a dream of one kind or another. This is true of Jennifer Lopez's character Paulina, the overly serious dance instructor. Although Gere's character was initially drawn to the dance academy because of her presence in the window, there is no romance between them. "I prefer not to socialise with students, she tells him, I take dance very seriously and if I was your goal, you have wasted your time". However, she isn't, he loves his wife and he has another agenda altogether. John's wife, Beverly, suspects he is having an affair and hires a private detective.The detective quickly discovers that John is not having an affair and forces Beverly to accept that he is trying to find some hidden aspect of himself. The movie does not dwell on this element for long; the real themes of the film are discovery and fulfilment. Eventually, John goes to the department store where Beverly works and takes her away in a scene that is reminiscent of the ending of an "Officer and a Gentleman".Although the overly quirky Stanley Tucci as Link threatens to overbalance the story, his character becomes more rounded as the story unfolds, providing some uplifting moments when he conquers personal fears.Music is an important element in the movie and although it features recognisable standards such as "Moon River", "Sway" and "Book of Love", they have been given a contemporary twist.Jennifer Lopez's character, Paulina, lives only to dance, but has been rejected by her lover and dancing partner. She is attractive enough to catch the attention of men, but is aloof and lost in her own world. J.Lo fits the role perfectly with a low-key performance that also allows her to display her genuine dancing skills.At first it is a little hard to accept Richard Gere playing a somewhat repressed man. Although he is a lawyer, he is not dominant at work or at home. However, this is probably his best performance since "Pretty Woman", but very different. "Shall We Dance" is an engaging movie, and the two powerhouse stars play against type, making their performances all that more effective.

Joel Sloane SPOILERS (although this lame remake could not possibly be spoiled any further). The first, most basic rule a beginning writer (including screenwriter) is taught is "Show, don't tell"; that is, let the readers, or viewers, realize for themselves what emotions a character may feel, from his actions, not from his words. This wholly unnecessary remake of the wonderful 1996 Japanese original breaks this elementary rule. Indeed, would any viewer have guessed that Richard Gere was so much in love with Susan Sarandon, had he not said so to her (and therefore to the audience) in the manipulative scene in which he appears at her work in formal dress with rose in hand? Certainly nothing from what we see of their relationship before this scene hints at such deep love. (Incidentally, whenever the screenplay departs from the Japanese original, as in the above-mentioned scene, it becomes totally bankrupt and unoriginal: the scene is lifted straight out of "An Officer and a Gentleman," when Gere, in full white uniform, appears at Debra Winger's job to carry her away.) I'm a great fan of Stanley Tucci (who is good in everything, even in this), but I almost lost all respect for him to allow himself to appear in this atrocious movie. How could he not realize that the dialog was so poorly written? I have no doubt that this remake will be very successful, judging from the taste of the American public, which seems to have sunk to new depths. If you absolutely MUST see this movie, I recommend that you first rent the DVD of the Japanese original, and then compare it to this remake to appreciate the truth of my critique.