Shall We Dance

This dance movie has enough comedy to keep non-dancers

entertained and enthusiastic. In fact, the eclectic cast of

characters gives the movie a dash of slapstick. The goofy

characters keep the audience entertained during and between the

dance scenes.

“Shall We Dance” is the story of John, a busy and unhappy estate

attorney played by Richard Gere. John begins spending lots of time

away from his wife and daughter. He starts taking ballroom dancing

classes to try and be closer to Paulina, the dance instructor

played by Jennifer Lopez. As John learns to dance he falls in love

with, not Paulina, but dancing.

His wife hires a private investigator to figure out why her

husband is always away from home. The detective, played by Richard

Jenkins, and his assistant, played by Nick Cannon, are two of the

funniest, cartoon like, characters in the film. The assistant

quotes Thoreau, while the detective is sloppy and drops bits of

sandwich everywhere.

Also amazing in the movie is Link, played by Stanley Tucci.

Seeing Link dancing in his “Latin lover” costume complete with

shoulder length wig and sequined skintight pants is enough to make

anyone laugh.

While many of the characters stand out, making the movie

comedic, Lopez fades into the background. Lopez acts as if she is

reading her lines, especially when compared to Gere. On the bright

side Lopez can dance better than anyone else in the film, but

dancing isn’t everything in this movie.

“Shall We Dance” is a good date movie; the audience was almost

entirely couples. Both men and women enjoyed the film and at times

the theatre was full of laughter. The characters are eclectic and

strange, but they come together wonderfully.

Two and a half out of four