Relatively decent remake of the original

Rating: 7/10 (26 February 2005)

I really had my doubts when I decided to watch this. I had seen the original "Shall We Dansu", which made more sense in the context in Japanese culture, while presenting itself as a breath of fresh air to the stale climate of the films I have recently been seeing. After watching this version, I can say that the film was relatively straight-forward copy of the original, and the performances were pretty good. Richard Gere does a good job reprising the role of the straight-laced businessman who decides to dance, and the supporting cast (including the always reliable Stanley Tucci) hold the movie well. Jennifer Lopez, surprisingly, has a relatively small role in the film, and while she doesn't butcher the role, she doesn't hold the charm the original actress did. If you can't get ahold of the original, this version will suffice. I think I might have given it a higher rating were it not for a) I did see the original, which puts me at a natural bias, b) a few scenes were too far extended, and c) if they had a more charming actress other than J.Lo in the role of Paulina.