Shall We Dance : Blu-ray Review

The Movie Itself was directed by Peter Chelsom and is a remake of the 1996 film, “Shall We Dansu?”. Chelsom directs the story of a middle-aged business man who lives a pleasant life, but is unhappy nonetheless. It isn’t until he secretly enrolls in a ballroom dance class that “John Clark” (played by Richard Gere) begins to snap out of his cubicle-coma, and becomes full of life and happiness once more.

I distinctly remember scoffing at the theatrical trailers for this film, as I was not a fan of Gere’s previous dance/musical, “Chicago”, and I was sure this film would be nothing more than a sappy love triangle dance flick — something I was not willing to endure at the time.

Now, four years after the film’s theatrical run, imagine my surprise when the film ended and I not only liked the film… I actually loved it. The reason? The film has heart, and plenty of it to go around.

Having gone into this film with the lowest of expectations, I have to say, I am thoroughly impressed with the ease at which I was drawn into the film’s narrative and spirit. I’m not a fan of dancing movies in general — couldn’t care less for “Dirty Dancing” or the plethora of spiritual knock-offs — but here there’s something truly arresting about the way the film unfolds. Perhaps it was the opening narration from Gere’s character, a very somber introduction to the world of his character “John Clark”, or maybe it was his desire to fill a gap in his life, when he still had so much, that I managed to connect with. Whatever the reason, it worked, and I bought into the film entirely.

“Shall We Dance” is the cutesy dance movie that you’re afraid to watch — out of fear that it will be yet another “chick flick” — but one that has a far greater message than any of the film’s marketing materials would have led you to believe. Not only does it succeed in weaving a compelling drama, and it does so subtly with minimal usage of melodramatic narrative arcs or devices. Also worth noting, there are a number of insightful remarks about the meaning of life/love/marriage throughout that caught me by surprise, and subsequently made me re-frame my own notions of marriage, and love.

I can’t guarantee that others will be as profoundly moved by the subtle messages littered throughout the dialog, but I’ll go out on a limb here and say that if you’re willing to give this film a chance I’m sure you will find something redeeming, whether it’s the film’s message, the dancing, or the comedy. There is something here for everyone.

Overall, the movie itself receives a “4 Star Rating“.