Dancing in the dark......

Rating: 6/10 (10 June 2005)

Shall We Dance is a fairly good adult film that might bore younger viewers.
The movie was definitely made with more mature audiences in mind, and moves at a relatively fair pace. Not a great movie by any means, it does manage to entertain throughout.
John Clark (Richard Gere) is a fairly successful estate lawyer who seems to be finding himself a little bored with his life. He has a good career, a loving wife (Susan Sarandon), 2 children, and a beautiful home, but something seems to be missing. On his way home from work each night on the subway, he passes Miss Mitzi's dance school. Intrigued by the beautiful women who he often sees standing in the window (Jennifer Lopez), he decides on impulse one day to give it a shot, and take a look inside.
From there on, he decides to enroll in ballroom dancing, which he comes to find as quite refreshing and therapeutic to his "mundane" life. The rest of the film has to do with Gere learning to appreciate dance, and not being embarrassed by it. He keeps this secret from his wife and kids, and develops a whole new set of relationships with his dancing teacher Miss Mitzi (Gillette), instructor Paulina (Lopez), and other fellow students.
This was a good supporting role for Lopez, and she shines here much more than in her other starring roles from previous years. As Paulina, she plays an ex competitive ballroom dancer turned instructor who has become a little jaded with life, with men, and with dance.
It all leads up to a amateur dance contest, with Gere and his other fellow classmates taking part. He's coached mainly by Miss Mitzi (Anita Gillette), with a little help from Lopez. There is a great dance sequence between Gere and Lopez that I found to be the highlight of the film. Both dance exceptionally in this movie, with Lopez doing some really fine work.
In the end, Gere learns to be open about his love of dance with his wife & kids, his co-workers and even with himself.
There are not too many adult films like "Shall We Dance" being released by the studios these days, so in that sense, the film is a little refreshing. At times far-fetched, "Shall We Dance" is still an enjoyable "one time watcher".
Recommended for more mature adults, I do not feel that this is really a movie to be enjoyed by everyone. If your like most twenty somethings, & your not interested in "middle aged man" syndrome or dancing....then you really need not apply.