Cute, Enjoyable, but Badly Cast and Too Predictable

Rating: 5/10 (25 October 2004)

As chick flicks go, "Shall We Dance" was less painful than most. It had a likable supporting cast and it gave me a few laughs, so I didn't mind enduring this film for my wife's sake. But it COULD have been a lot better, and the problem starts with Richard Gere. No, I'm not saying Gere gives a bad performance- he's perfectly okay. The problem is, the male in this film's lead role should be an ordinary Joe with an ordinary white-collar job, and a humdrum life. Why else would he find ballroom dancing an appealing escape from his otherwise dull life? But even though Gere gives a decent performance, we just can't forget for a second that he's NOT an ordinary Joe! He's Richard Freaking Gere, a handsome, rich, suave movie star who looks great in a tux! That makes it hard to buy the central premise, that his character needs an escape from reality.
I don't wish to insult Mr. Gere for being good-looking! But in this case, I think the part called for an actor who wasn't so glamorous. Of course, while that might have made for a better movie, the theaters wouldn't be as packed with women as they were last Saturday!