An old-fashioned movie for today

Rating: 10/10 (10 December 2004)

SPOILERS!
I will be the first to say that I wasn't holding out much hope for this movie. I mean it has J-Lo in it, for heaven's sake! And Richard Gere dancing? You gotta be kidding me! I thought Susan Sarandon must be crazy getting mixed up with a movie like this!
I was wrong, on all accounts!
It's the story of a man who is searching for his identity (Gere) and finds it in ballroom dancing and the lives he touches along the way. His inspiration is the lovely, but aloof Paulina (J-Lo). One of the things I liked most about this film, is they didn't go the traditional cheating husband route.
OK...that's simplified a bit, but you get the idea.
J-Lo proved to me that she is not only a good actress, but a wonderful dancer too. I was tired just watching some of the routines!
I had heard that Richard Gere could dance, but never seen any proof of it (the tap dancing he did in Chicago is MUCH different from ballroom dancing!)
Susan Sarandon, as always, was superb!
Stanley Tucci was touching and impressive as Link Peterson, a straight man with a passion for dancing. Lisa Ann Walter steals many of the scenes she's in. Not only can she dance, but she has wonderful comedic timing.
That's not to say that there weren't some wholes in the plot. OK, one major one. I have taken ballroom dance classes. You don't get to the level the newbie dancers got to in just 8 weeks! Maybe one of them could POSSIBLY be a quick study, but not all of them!
Bottom line....This movie brings us back to the old-time Fred Astair/Ginger Rogers movies (the movie even gives a a brief no to them !)