Shall We Dance (2004)

46% of critics liked it
(153 reviews)
63% of users liked it
(188,933 ratings)

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… More 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, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 46 min.
Directed By: Peter Chelsom
Written By: Audrey Wells
Genres: Drama, Romance, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 15, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Feb 1, 2005
Studio: Miramax Films

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
Under the clunky direction of Peter Chelsom, while forced to mouth inane dialogue by Audrey Wells ... a swell bunch of troupers get mangled in a monsoon of clichés.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
There are so many appealing performers in Shall We Dance? that it's a crime the director, Peter Chelsom, and the screenwriter, Audrey Wells, haven't given them more to do.
Jen Chaney, Washington Post
Occasionally charming but ultimately forgettable bit of fox-trot fluff.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Takes a small, exquisite Japanese movie and turns it into a big, stupid American movie. Still, it must be said that as glossy and overproduced as the thing is, it's a good Big Stupid American movie.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Turns a sweet, lilting story into a clunky, clichéd and tedious movie sitcom.
Peter Howell, Toronto Star
The original remains the standard, and it's a far deeper work, but this paint-by-numbers project manages to get by on its good humour and undeniably entertaining ensemble cast.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Cute romance that is marred by homophobia.
Felix Vasquez Jr., Cinema Crazed
The charm is simply lost in the remake, and had I seen this movie without seeing the original, my analyses wouldn't have been any different.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Touches to make 'hip' what should be an unabashedly square story--such as the casting of Nick Cannon in a supporting role and an out-of-nowhere cameo by Ja Rule--more jar than gel.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
This excellent and acclaimed cast is shoved into a film whose screenplay should have alerted them that it's not ready to go before the cameras.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
Inevitably this film will be compared to its predecessor, and it simply can't win.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Gere is surprisingly light on his feet, but the script by Wells is lighter.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Not as good as the original, but enjoyable nonetheless.
Angie Errigo, Empire Magazine
It's rather cute, but only the truly girly will fall for the decidedly Officer And A Gentlemanly denouement that injects a belated sexy note.
Camerin Courtney, Christianity Today
The 1996 original is classier, deeper, more poignant. A Ginger Rogers to this Beyoncé.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
American studios are, quite simply, incapable of the subtlety and understatement that made the Japanese original such an unforgettable classic.
Amy Simmons, Time Out
Offers attractive, inoffensive characters and a smattering of broad laughs, but it fails to use its potential to explore weightier themes such as John's mid-life crisis.
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit
I still recommend the original, but am less cynical about the remake on DVD
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Os personagens vivem crises de identidade que soam reais graças às boas performances de seus intérpretes - e isto coloca o filme acima do que permitiria seu material.
Stella Papamichael, BBC
Shall We Dance? stumbles into a tight corner between comedy and romance, failing to satisfy on either count.

Read all 23 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bethany M

Richard Gere ruined this film. That is all.
Cassie H

Exellent Movie
Ginny

This movie made me want to attend ballroom dancing lessons! lol! Anywhoo, I think Gere looked sweet, hes always charming anyway, but the contrast really showed when he was dancing with Lopez, I thought she was too much of an intense dancer to be partnered with Gere. Mwahaha, all guys… More
This movie made me want to attend ballroom dancing lessons! lol! Anywhoo, I think Gere looked sweet, hes always charming anyway, but the contrast really showed when he was dancing with Lopez, I thought she was too much of an intense dancer to be partnered with Gere. Mwahaha, all guys should learn how to dance, its so cute hahaha!
Luke B

Any good in this film is pretty much drowned out by the predictability factor. It's cinematic fluff that hits all the right buttons to impress it's target audience which it does very well. Satisfactory acting, a few laughs and ridiculous moments of going "AAAWWW"… More
Any good in this film is pretty much drowned out by the predictability factor. It's cinematic fluff that hits all the right buttons to impress it's target audience which it does very well. Satisfactory acting, a few laughs and ridiculous moments of going "AAAWWW" mean you know within 4 minutes if this is a film for you.
Dean M

This remake of 1996 Japanese's version is fantastic romantic-drama-comedy in dance lessons film as much as a frisky Richard Gere jiggying toward J.Lo's rumba-rumbling rump. I love watching the dance lessons including step-ups, tap dance, etc...
Red L

I had to watch this as it was filmed in my home town. OK movie.
Aliyanto L

Routines should be fought and you will appreciate it someday!
Leigh R

Good enough, Gere's performance was spectacular.
Steven V

The Japanese movie, Shall we dansu? was one of the most commercially successful foreign language movies 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… More
The Japanese movie, Shall we dansu? was one of the most commercially successful foreign language movies 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. Gooey moments and plot contrivances not withstanding, this is a sweet and charming movie 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. Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Richard 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 Clark a thing or two about dancing, falls short of the mark. Jennifer Lopez, for all her other undeniable talents, simply has not developed an actress' 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 movie worth watching.
Dannielle A

A movie for hopeless romantics. :-)
Andreia C

beautiful, beautiful movie
Deb S

Richard Gere gives an outstanding performance of a guy who is bored with his daily train commute to and from work and his stable, secure and contented home life, simply lacks the excitement needed to have more happiness in his life. He seeks diversion by taking ballroom dancing… More
Richard Gere gives an outstanding performance of a guy who is bored with his daily train commute to and from work and his stable, secure and contented home life, simply lacks the excitement needed to have more happiness in his life. He seeks diversion by taking ballroom dancing lessons. Jennifer Lopez is good in a minor role helping Gere get his rhythm and Susan Sarandon does just as good, portraying the role of Gere's wife who is unaware of her husband's dancing. All the dance scenes are great, especially one in the middle between Gere and Lopez. "Shall We Dance" is sweet, funny and the dance scenes were incredible.
Andrew F

Shall We Dance is an all-around okay film. The ending was well-done.
Nicolas K

J-Lo films generally suck. This one is acceptable. I liked the ending.
Yinalí R

One of my favorites. Makes me laugh and dance a whole lot!
C.R. L

For the last 5,000 years humanity has been dancing it has become part of our culture, it has become part of who we are even if we can't dance we still do it not because we want to but because we have to. When we hear music that just gets our blood racing and our feet… More
For the last 5,000 years humanity has been dancing it has become part of our culture, it has become part of who we are even if we can't dance we still do it not because we want to but because we have to. When we hear music that just gets our blood racing and our feet tapping we just can't resist getting up off our feet and just dancing. It's natural and it feels good and that is the center of Peter Chelsom?s charming romantic/musical comedy that is more about love of the human spirit and music than love itself. "Shall we Dance?" is not as flashy as Rob Marshall's "Chicago" or as slick as "Grease" but what it has going for it is that it doesn't try and cheat you out of the reality of things that actually happen in real life it doesn't use big musical numbers or anything you see in conventional musicals. Instead it takes it slow and builds up the relationships between the characters and also takes it time building up to its heart warming and musical dazzled finale. But what really makes "Shall we dance? a real joy is not the music nor is it the back drop of New York as a huge ballroom, no what makes "Shall we dance " such a joy and a pleasure to watch is the fact that the actors have so much fun at just doing what there doing. They enjoy the dancing and they enjoy working with each other and it shows as the films progresses on but while they music and the actors are phenomenal what really draws you into this films world is the amazing cinematography that highlights and creates a more elegant and graceful New York it makes it dream like and creates an atmosphere that is relaxing, while exhilarating, enthralling but subtle. "Shall we Dance?" is a move event that you don't want to miss it's so heart warming, so funny, sweet and oh so charming that even if you don't like it at first you will by the end , it's just too good to resist. Richard Gere gives one of his most charming and endearing performances as an overworked and bored lawyer just looking for his place in the world and he found it through dancing. Gere is charming as usual yes but his performance is less based on his charms than his skills but what makes him such a staple and a standout is the fact that Gere doesn't play younger than he is he actually for once plays his age and it is a relief to see that because Gere usually always is the romantic lead or the one who seduces younger woman but seeing him play a stable family man is somewhat of a relief but also seeing him let loose on the dance floor is also something to behold. Gere is both functional and stylish and is not only a class act but proves that even though he's old he?s not out of the game yet. Susan Sarandon is perfectly cast as the wife of Gere, Sarandon may be down played in this film but her character and the time she is on screen is very important to keep the story going and even she delivers a few laughs of her own. But Sarandon is great and with more screen time I think she would have made a lovely addition to the main cast but where she ended up is just as good. Jennifer Lopez is beautiful and graceful as the dance instructor Paullina but her acting talent's are seriously lacking and she can't hold her own besides Sarandon and Gere but her amazing moves and style is enough to give her the edge she needs to stay afloat beside two titans. The rest of the cast including Stanley Tucci and Lisa Ann Walter and other known faces are great and help hold up the main cast and even at times shine on there own and show there just as good as the big names. "Shall We Dance?" Is a musical for our times and a film that can be enjoyed by anyone with a passion for dancing or a love for people that do? While some may call it clique and some may call it derivative of other better musical. But I say what do you think?
Maymay A

I didn't like it much. I think this is the most boring romantic film I have seen. It isn't even that romantic. The last few scenes were the most romantic, concerning this film. There are good performers in the cast. The ending fits the movie quite nicely. It's a film a… More
I didn't like it much. I think this is the most boring romantic film I have seen. It isn't even that romantic. The last few scenes were the most romantic, concerning this film. There are good performers in the cast. The ending fits the movie quite nicely. It's a film a wide range of ages could watch.
Erin C

Such a cute movie! I love dancing movies, and I thought this one was adorable.
Sunil J

I was ready to make fun of this but I really enjoyed it and thought it was heartfelt.
Ina S

Unadulterated, mindless fun. No more, no less.