Shall We Dance

Reviewed by FRANCESCA RUDKIN

Herald rating: * *

Shall We Dance is a sweet, charming movie about the restorative powers of proper dancing. The remake of the Japanese 1996 hit Shall we Dansu?, this Hollywood version dances lightly around its potential heady themes of unfulfilled relationships to create an uplifting and cheesy tale that will appeal to a wide audience. Especially those who want more of Gere's twinkle-toes after his song and dance turn in Chicago.

It also provides the perfect role for Jennifer Lopez - not too many lines, only one or two expressions required, and an ability to dance make Lopez the perfect Paulina, a woman whose dream of winning the world-famous Whitehall Ballroom Dancing Contest has been crushed by a tumble on the dance floor and a lack of confidence.

Paulina teaches at Miss Mitzi's Dance School in Chicago, and finishes her days by gazing wistfully out the studio window.

Seeing her melancholy visage from his commuter train, Clark (Gere), an accountant who specialises in wills, develops a crush. One night he jumps off his train and enrols in Miss Mitzi's beginner's class only to find Paulina isn't his teacher - the elderly, hip-flask swilling Miss Mitzi is his tutor.

When Clark does come to dance with Paulina, it's a sexually charged affair as expected. Paulina transfers Clark's desire for her into a desire for dancing, and as he begins to feel alive for the first time in many years, Paulina's dream of being a world-famous dancer comes alive again, too.

Clark keeps his dancing secret from his family, and it's not until he starts practising non-stop for a dance competition that wife Beverly (Sarandon) becomes suspicious that he is having an affair.

Shall We Dance is a crowd-pleaser, filled with laughs, a classy cast having some fun, and enough sexual tension to keep you entertained - at least until the music stops.

CAST: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci, Bobby Cannavale

DIRECTOR: Peter Chelsom

RUNNING TIME: 106 minutes

RATING: M (low level coarse language)

SCREENING: Village, Hoyts, Berkeley, Rialto