Main Cast: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Ann Walter
Release Year: 2004
Country: US
Run Time: 106 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Directed by Peter Chelsom, this film is the English-language remake of Masayuki Suo's 1995 romantic comedy of the same name; the Japanese version earned a record-breaking 9.5 million dollars in United States box offices. Shall We Dance? revolves around John Clark (Richard Gere), a workaholic Chicago lawyer who, despite a respectable paycheck and loving family, is unable to shake the feeling that something in his life is missing. On a whim, John disrupts his normal evening commute to attend a dance class in hopes of meeting Paulina (Jennifer Lopez), a beautiful dance teacher he would occasionally spot gazing out of the studio windows. Though Paulina quickly lays to rest any preconceived romantic notions John may have had about her, she nonetheless forms a bond with him that goes beyond those normally held by a teacher and student. Invigorated with his new hobby, John focuses his newfound enthusiasm into training for an upcoming dance competition; however, he chooses not to let his wife (Susan Sarandon) in on his plans. Unaware that dance may be, in fact, saving her marriage, John's wife becomes suspicious of all the time he spends away from home and hires a private investigator to find out whether or not her husband is having an affair. Ultimately, John is forced to examine how his old dreams fit in to his new life. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
Gary Baugh - Art Director, Sue Chan - Art Director, Rachel Hudgins - Associate Producer, Richard Hicks - Casting, Ross Clydesdale - Casting, John O'Connell - Choreography, Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda - Co-producer, Sophie de Rakoff Carbonell - Costume Designer, Martin Walters - First Assistant Director, Peter Chelsom - Director, Robert Leighton - Editor, Charles Ireland - Editor, Bob Weinstein - Executive Producer, Harvey Weinstein - Executive Producer, Julie Goldstein - Executive Producer, Bob Osher - Executive Producer, Mari Snyder Johnson - Executive Producer, Gabriel Yared - Composer (Music Score), John Altman - Composer (Music Score), Caroline Hanania - Production Designer, John DeBorman - Cinematographer, John de Dorman - Cinematographer, Simon Fields - Producer, Rejean Labrie - Set Designer, Rudy Braun - Set Designer, Robert F. Scherer - Sound/Sound Designer, Masayuki Suo - Screenwriter, Audrey Wells - Screenwriter, Randy Spendlove - Executive Music Producer, Michael Minkler - Re-Recording Mixer, Patrick Cyccone Jr. - Re-Recording Mixer, Cal Loucks - Set Decorator, Tony Barracca - Set Decorator, Amy Israel - Co-Executive Producer, Jennifer Berman - Co-Executive Producer
John Clark (Richard Gere) is a lawyer with a charming wife and a loving family, who nevertheless feels that something is missing as he makes his way every day through the city. Each evening on his commute home through Chicago, John sees a beautiful woman staring with a lost expression through the window of a dance studio. Haunted by her gaze, John impulsively jumps off the train one night, and signs up for ballroom dancing lessons, hoping to meet her. At first, it seems like a mistake. His teacher turns out to be not Paulina (Jennifer Lopez), but the older Miss Mitzi (Anita Gillette), and John proves just as clumsy as his equally clueless classmates on the dance-floor. Even worse, when he does meet Paulina, she icily tells John she hopes he has come to the studio to seriously study dance and not to look for a date. But, as his lessons continue, John falls in love with dancing. Keeping his new obsession from his family and co-workers, John feverishly trains for Chicago's biggest dance competition. His friendship with Paulina blossoms, as his enthusiasm rekindles her own lost passion for dance. But the more time John spends away from home, the more his wife Beverly (Susan Sarandon) becomes suspicious. With his secret about to be revealed, John has to do some fancy footwork to keep his dream going and realize what it is he really yearns for.
In the original, Sugiyama's secrecy is partly due to cultural ideas about dancing. In the remake, John's secrecy is because he doesn't want to hurt his wife. He loves her, but feels a need to dance.
In the original, Aoki's shame was based upon cultural fears related to ballroom dancing. In the remake, Link's shame was based upon cultural fears which connect dancing with homosexuality.
There is not much of a difference between the original and the remake. Bobbie is actually very much the American version of the loud dance addict Toyoko.
In the original, Hattori is a proud and self-proclaimed dance enthusiast who wanted to please his wife, who herself is into ballroom dancing. In the remake, Chic wanted to dance to pick up women but later found out otherwise.
In the original, Masako is the typical devoted and soft-spoken wife of a Japanese salary man. The remake made sure that Beverly Clark would be the typical working mom that American audiences would relate to and with much sympathy for her romanticism.
Reception
Shall We Dance received a 48 percent rating from Rotten Tomatoes (Fresh: 70 Rotten: 75).[2]Roger Ebert stated in the Chicago Sun Times that "I enjoyed the Japanese version so much I invited it to my Overlooked Film Festival a few years ago, but this remake offers pleasures of its own."[3]
Box office performance
The movie debuted on October 15, 2004, grossing $11,783,467 in the opening weekend.The movie ran for 133 days,grossing $57,890,460 domestically and $112,238,000 in the foreign market. Its international total stands at $170,128,460.
