winning romantic comedy

Rating: 7/10 (23 October 2005)

The Japanese film, "Shall We Dance?" was one of the most commercially successful foreign language films ever released in the United States. The almost inevitable American remake, now set in Chicago, follows the original very closely in terms of both storyline and spirit.
John Clark (Richard Gere) is a successful middle-aged lawyer who has spent virtually his entire adult life devising wills for other people. He has a happy marriage and two teenaged children who adore him, yet something still seems to be missing from his life. One night, while riding the train home as he has done hundreds of times before, he finds himself transfixed by the image of a beautiful young woman staring out from an upper-story window of a second-rate dance studio. Intrigued by the sight, John musters up the courage to get off the train, mosey on into the studio, and sign up for dance lessons. As John begins to find meaning and purpose in his life, his concerned wife, Beverly (Susan Sarandon), fearing that he may in fact be having an affair, goes to a detective agency, headed by Richard Jenkins, to have the man she loves discreetly followed.
Gooey moments and plot contrivances not withstanding, this is a sweet and charming film that, in its own quiet way, makes a profound statement about finding meaning in the second half of one's life. Although the narrative and humor often have a sitcom feel to them, the overall breezy tone and good-natured ambiance of the movie win us over anyway. And although many of the subsidiary people who populate this tale are really more caricatures than characters, at least they're colorful and well-delineated enough to add to - rather than subtract from - the central drama.
Gere, Sarandon, Jenkins, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale and Lisa Ann Walter all give winning performances. In fact, of all the actors, only Jennifer Lopez, as the beautiful young woman who teaches John a thing or two about dancing, falls short of the mark. Ms. Lopez, for all her other undeniable talents, simply has not developed an actor's confidence on camera, and, as a result, she is unable to rise to the level of the professionals.
On the other hand, the dancing alone makes the film worth watching.