Shall We Dance?, 2004
Not as good as the original, but…
I watched this September, 2005
Plot Summary: A Hollywood remake of the acclaimed Japanese film, a wall flower blossoms on the ballroom dance floor, but has to do fancy dancing to convince his bride of his intentions.
What I Disliked
l Gere was just too smooth for the part; his Japanese counterpart did much better.
l JLo? Dancer, yes. Right for this part, not so sure.
l I felt by trying to make more of the fellow’s home life, they actually worsened the focus on the dance lessons.
What I Liked
l Another film (Mid Summer’s review I just wrote) in which I thought the part played by Stanley Tucci was just perfect. I don’t know if he outdid the Japanese rendition, but he sure came close and was marvelous.
l The side kicks (the other men taking lessons) really worked for me, more so than in the Japanese version. They were supportive, awkward, each had a story line that worked, it was well done.
l I loved the original, so as you can tell this is a comparative review. What I really like here was the fact that I did not have to work with subtitles. The Japanese version was superior in many respects, but this helped a lot.
Would I recommend it and to whom?: Yes, as a good second cousin to the original Japanese version. I know many will not wish to attempt the original with its subtitles.
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