Written by Linda
February 14, 2009
When I initially heard that there was going to be an English-language remake of the lovely Japanese film Shall We Dance? I shook my fist at the sky and bellowed, "Why?!?! WHYYYYYYY??!?!" The Japanese film has a subtle beauty and calmness, along with some brilliant knee-slapping comedy, that in my book, could not be improved upon. Plus the unifying theme of the original had to do with a cultural taboo (dancing in public, especially with someone who was not your wife) that would not translate to an American story.
So, how did they do with the remake? Well, count me surprised. Maybe simply because the source material was so good, the American version retains much of the same charm as the original, despite losing some of the break-free-of-your-restraints punch of the original.
Richard Gere plays John Clark, your everyman businessman (albeit Hollywood-handsome businessman). He has a knockout, sharp-as-a-whip wife (of course Susan Sarandon), and non-crackhead teenage children. He is in a solid and well-to-do profession (writing and revising wills), and has a gorgeous house in the suburbs. What else could a man want in life?
On his train ride home John starts noticing a forlornly sad, yet stunningly beautiful woman gazing out of the window of a dance studio. His curiosity gets the better of him, and he finds himself stumbling one evening into dance lessons, hoping to meet the beautiful Paulina (Jennifer Lopez). He and a couple of bumbling cohorts, a young heavy fellow (Omar Benson Miller) and a butch swarthy-type (the always great Bobby Cannavale), end up under the tutelage of a sweet older lady, all the while gazing at the untouchable Paulina. To all of their surprise, the men find out that they really enjoy dancing, and it releases in them a sort of simple joy that they didn't expect.
The film tries to translate the Japanese taboo into a more American version: How could a man who has everything still not be happy? This translation works to some extent, though having sneak- ballroom dancing lessons doesn't really come across as the ultimate rebellion to domestic perfection. However, with that said, Sarandon, in her few scenes, does do a fine job (and get an excellent speech) with her sadness that her husband (and perfect partner) is hiding something from her, and she is, in a way, part of his melancholy.
Shall We Dance?, like the original, is buoyed by a strong supporting cast of quirky characters, including the aforementioned Cannavale, Lisa Ann Walter as a brassy dancing cohort, and Miller as the self-conscious heavy guy who just wants to impress his fiance. Lopez, I must say isn't given much to do, and doesn't make much of an impression one way or another. But the one person that my screening audience was crowing about was Stanley Tucci, as a flamboyant co-worker of John's, who expresses himself theatrically (and secretly) in dance. Tucci is fine and funny, but he doesn't hold a candle to Naoto Takenaka's Mr. Aoki in the original, who made me scream with laughter all of the four times I saw that movie.
Shall We Dance? is a nice alternative to the sex-and-violence of multiplex movies. It is unoffensive, funny, and quite charming. I was pleased that the remake was able to retain much of the heart of the original, and I think this version will give the story a new audience that prefers not to "read" their films.
