Lightweight, entertaining Fluff

A couple weeks ago, I felt like I was being punished by the movie gods. A few days ago, I figured they were just laughing at me. With two new movies to choose from at Hollywood Theater, I’d be watching Shall We Dance?, a Richard Gere romantic comedy, basically by default. The other movie, First Daughter, was met with extremely poor feedback, both by critics and general audiences, when it opened in the States, about a month ago. So there I was, a single dude, watching a Richard Gere romance, BY MYSELF! I tried my best not to cry in my popcorn.

Then a crazy thing happened. I liked it. I’ve never been a particularly big fan of sappy romantic comedies, so I was pleased to find out that Shall We Dance? is much more of a comedy than anything else. About half of the jokes didn’t work at all, for me, but the other half did, so I found myself laughing, or at least grinning, quite often. Shall We Dance? does have its share of flaws, though, so while it is a good movie, it’s a long way from being great.

In Shall We Dance?, Gere plays John, a middle-aged estate lawyer, with a loving wife (Susan Sarandon) and a pair of good kids. If only they had a golden retriever, they’d be the perfect all-American family. But there’s an indescribable void in John’s life. He can’t place a finger on just what he’s missing, but his life is joyless, his days consumed by all his time at the job, and commuting on the Chicago “El” train.

And therein lies the first problem with Shall We Dance?. The only reason we know John is dissatisfied with his life is because that’s what it says in the official synopsis of the movie, provided by its distributor. In the movie, John’s unhappiness is never established; in fact, he looks pretty darn happy. Without ever experiencing his inner anguish, then, we also can’t experience his delight, and liberation from the daily grind, when he stumbles upon the joy of ballroom dancing.

What this boils down to, then, is the fact that while Shall We Dance? is amusing enough, it doesn’t have any emotional impact, at all. That’s in stark contrast to the 1996 Japanese original it is a remake of, a movie that was much more dramatic, and that cleaned up at the Japanese version of the Oscars.

Another problem with Shall We Dance? is that screenwriter Audrey Wells (Under the Tuscan Sun, George of the Jungle) can’t seem to decide if she wants to celebrate ballroom dancing or ridicule it. Through the experience’s of John, we’re supposed to discover that ballroom dancing, like any other art form, is a tremendous emotional release, allowing dancers to let their passion for life and love spill out on the dance floor. Most of the supporting cast, however, is used for slapstick comedy (poorly done slapstick, by the way), poking fun of ballroom dancers, painting them as either light in their footsteps, or just plain wacko.

My final criticism of Shall We Dance? is also an applause, though. The dance scenes, what few there are, are really good. The best scene in the movie, in fact, is when John and his instructor (Jennifer Lopez) finally have one passionate dance with each other. These scenes should be good, after all. Long before she was making pop music and stupid movies (Gigli, Maid in Manhattan), J-Lo was part of a dance troupe, the “Fly Girls”, on the Fox sketch-comedy show In Living Color. She knows how to dance, and Gere aint half bad, either. Why, then, are there so few dance scenes? On a side note—I heard a rumor, a few years back, that J-Lo got a butt reduction. While watching Shall We Dance?, I had a difficult time believing that. It’s still magnificently ginormous.

The acting performances in Shall We Dance? are a mix of good and bad. On the bad side, as previously mentioned, the supporting cast is used mostly for ridicule. They really ham it up. I imagine director Peter Chelsom (Serendipity) probably thought this would be funny. Nah, it’s just annoying.

Richard Gere has never really impressed me, but that’s probably just because he’s usually cast in the type of movie I’d never watch without being paid to. He’s a pretty good actor, actually. Susan Sarandon, of course, is great, as always. J-Lo, usually receiving nothing but criticism for her acting abilities (or lack thereof), performed adequately, if not spectacularly. Then again, I kept staring at her butt, so maybe I’m not the most impartial observer.

The music in Shall We Dance? is nice, the bulk of the soundtrack made up of various artists, ranging from Latin jazz, to trip-hop, to Peter Gabriel.

Even with all its flaws, Shall We Dance? is fairly agreeable. I wouldn’t recommend going out of one’s way to see it, but it you’re in a movie mood, it’s a worthy diversion from your own daily grindstone. By the way, did I mention J-Lo’s butt? (Joe Weindl)