Songs range from the energetic Flamenco electronica of the Gotan Project to a wonderful interpretation of the Magnetic Fields' bittersweet "The Book Of Love" by Peter Gabriel. Kudos goes out to Chelsom for putting together a stellar array of sounds that never detract from the film, but rather help to enhance the mood. The music employed throughout is riveting, haunting, and above all well-suited to all the action on screen. In addition to the stellar cast, the other star of the film is the vibrant soundtrack. Additional small roles by the likes of Bobby Cannavale, Nick Cannon, and Omar Benson Miller add additional splashes of nuance to the film. But the key performances are delivered by relative newcomer Lisa Ann Walter, who practically steels the show as Bobbie, a vibrant Bette Midler type Stanley Tucci as closet Latin lover Link Peterson Richard Jenkins as a private detective hired by Clark's wife (one of the best scenes in the entire film involves Jenkins' character eating a sandwich while interviewing Sarandon's suspicious wife character).
Sarandon is well suited as Clark's equally busy wife and Anita Gillette as the ditzy Miss Mitzi, owner of the dilapidated dance studio, is a hoot. Aside from Gere, the real draw here is the outstanding supporting cast. Stanley+Tucci,+Susan+Sarandon,+Richard+Gere+and+Jennifer+Lopez+in+Shall+We+Dance? Gere is his usual, quietly intense self and his affable, slow-burn charisma is perfectly suited for his character, which is more or less undergoing a mid-life crisis. To this end, the film is not only about taking the time to stop and smell the roses, but also to keep challenging yourself so that the romantic flames will always be well-kindled and the home fires will continually burn. Naturally his initial desire is to meet the elusive Paulina, but along the way he learns more about himself and begins to truly enjoy the art of dance. As can be expected, Clark quickly builds up the gumption to visit the studio and eventually signs up for a beginning course in dance. Thankfully, one fateful night he glances out the window and notices the forlorn Paulina (Lopez) staring out of the window of a rundown downtown dance studio. But as he shuffles to and from work everyday on the L Train he slowly begins to realize that something is missing from his life. Our "hero," John Clark (Gere) is a loyal husband and hard working accountant in Chicago. At the heart of the film is the lost (at least in today's ultra modern, fast paced world) art of ballroom dancing. And what of J-Lo? Um, we'll get to that in a second.
Interestingly enough, the Yankee remake is pretty decent, thanks in part to the presence of Gere and a great supporting cast that includes Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Ann Walter, Anita Gillette, and Richard Jenkins. But let's face it, the average Cineplex patron is much more apt to gravitate toward a film starring Jennifer Lopez than one with subtitles, hence Hollywood's continued drive and desire to snatch up the rights and continually remake small, arty films from abroad. As with any Westernized interpretation of a foreign film, undoubtedly a sizeable chunk of the original's subtlety and quaintness gets lost in translation. In all actuality, this is a remake of the 1996 Japanese romantic comedy Shall We Dance?įor those that never saw the original art house import, the story as re-imagined by Peter Chelsom is a bittersweet little tale about a man (Richard Gere) who rekindles the lost romance in his heart via ballroom dancing.
Why? Because the presence of said question mark denotes that this is not a remake of the similarly (but altogether differently) titled 1937 Fred Astair vehicle (which was simply called Shall We Dance, sans question mark). It's of utmost importance to pay attention to the question mark in the title of the new Richard Gere/Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy.