Where the original soared, the new version hugs the ground. It's like the difference between Fred Astaire's dancing and Richard Gere's.
Comment
10/15/04
Shall We Dance? (2004)
48
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:145
Fresh:69
Rotten:76
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: The cast is warmly appealing, but with the loss of cultural context and addition of big-name celebrities, this American version loses the nuances of the original.
Theatrical Release:18-02-2005
Synopsis: A workaholic lawyer’s life and marriage take an unexpected twirl when he follows a beautiful woman to a Chicago dance studio and becomes a clandestine ballroom dance competitor in SHALL WE DANCE.... [More]
Starring: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci
Director: Peter Chelsom
Reviews for Shall We Dance?
A cozy star vehicle for Jennifer Lopez and Richard Gere.
10/15/04
Miscast, misguided and woefully misbegotten, this clumsy American remake of the deftly delicate 1996 sleeper hit from Japan is too blah to bludgeon.
10/15/04
Lopez has the simultaneous gift and curse of being exactly as good as her material; she fully inhabits the solemnity of Paulina without overshadowing the central conflict.
10/15/04
A treat on two counts. First and foremost, it is a wildly entertaining and companionable film. Second, it is blessedly unpretentious.
10/15/04
The Clark character holds us because Gere makes us understand the frustration of a guy who simply needs a new spark to rejuvenate a good but stale life.
10/15/04
A frequently awkward mesh of character study and broad comedic elements that's fairly winning nonetheless, thanks largely to the fine work of an attractive and likable cast.
10/15/04
Feels more American in origin: like Dirty Dancing III: The Viagra Years.
10/15/04
Runs the constant risk of dissolving into extreme silliness, but its continuous small-change pleasures and general sweetness grow in aggregate.
10/15/04
The central idea -- that losing yourself in a small, private world can help you to better engage the larger world -- isn't lost in translation.
10/15/04
It's an intelligent, funny, mature comedy that wears its heart on its sleeve and makes you care about the inner lives of ridiculously privileged human beings.
10/15/04
A pleasant, uncomplicated, adult night out -- an event nearly as rare as a new romantic Hollywood musical.
10/15/04
There isn't even any exciting dancing here, and what hoofing there is has been heavily edited, usually with the dancers' feet cropped off.
10/15/04
A comedy with two left feet.
10/15/04
A sleek Hollywood crowd-pleaser, more movie than art film, but its makers have wisely stuck not only to the spirit but often even to the letter of the original.
10/15/04
Top CriticIt wants so badly to curry date-night favor, it never risks doing anything that would make for a memorable move.
10/15/04
Very nearly as good as the original, a funny and unexpectedly touching story of a middle-age man finding inspiration in ballroom dance.
10/15/04
There's nothing wrong with Shall We Dance? exactly, except that it makes absolutely no sense.
10/15/04
This American version doesn't have the same exquisite magic and profound understanding, but it is charming in its own way.
10/15/04
Sure, it's idiotic fluff. But it's vaguely watchable idiotic fluff.
10/15/04
Latest News for Shall We Dance?
March 11, 2005:
Audrey Wells to do Some Rearranging Over at Touchstone
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