Year:
2004
Studio:
Miramax Films
Feature:
3/5
DVD:
3/5
Shall We Dance is
a film about a rather staid and boring lawyer, yearning for something
but not knowing what it is, who finds that fulfilment in ballroom
dancing. John Clark (Richard Gere) is an estates lawyer with a loving
wife, Beverly (Susan Sarandon), and a son and daughter. He has his
routine and life passes by from week to week never seeming to change.
Being an estates lawyer gets John into thinking about things. And as he
rides the Chicago L-train to and from work each day he has a lot of
time to think about life. And on the way home each day he passes
Mitzi's Dance Studio. And he sees a lovely woman staring out the
window, seemingly at him, each night.
One night on a whim John gets off the L-train and walks up the stairs
to the dance studio and enrolls in an 8-week beginner's ballroom dance
class. There are two other students, Vern (Omar Miller) and Chich
(Bobby Cannavale). Mitzi (Anita Gillette) is their instructor and
Paulina (Jennifer Lopez) is the lovely vision who teaches the advanced
classes. And there is also Bobbie (Lisa Ann Walker) the loud-mouthed
and brash intermediate dancer.
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This is a
secret life that John is leading. Perhaps he started out with
some sort of inappropriate intentions towards Paulina (though we never
really find out). But after a while John finds that he likes the
dancing. And Meanwhile his wife Beverly starts to suspect that John is
having an affair, what with him staying late for work every Wednesday.
Beverly hires a private investigator and finds out John's secret. But
it's a secret he hasn't shared with her and the whole eventual
confrontation and aftermath slowly reveals John's reasons for what he
did.
It's a film about finding a hobby of your own and not being ashamed of
it. And it's about ballroom dancing and we do see a dance competition
that all the students enter. I thought it was an ok movie.
Extras
Feature Commentary with Director Peter Chelson
Beginners' Ballroom -- actors learning how to dance
Behind the Scenes of Shall We Dance?
The Music of Shall We Dance?
Pussycat Dolls "Sway" Music Video
Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Director Peter Chelson
Alternate Opening
Dr. Dance -- Long Version
The Competition
Link and Bobbie Rumba and Paulina Coaches John
Paulina Dances with Children
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