Movie Monday-Shall We Dance

This week's movie review is of the movie "Shall We Dance" from 2004. This movie is about an estate lawyer named John Clark (Richard Gere). Every night on his way home he sees a beautiful woman, played by Jennifer Lopez, gazing out of the window of a dance studio. One evening he acts out of impulse and jumps off his train and rushes into the dance studio. He reluctantly signs up for classes only to find out that Paulina (Jennifer Lopez) isn't teaching the classes!

Paulina seems to think that John is only taking classes to try to win her over. She tells John not to come back if it's because of her and not because of dancing. John soon discovers a love for dancing and is entered in a big dance competition.

Because his personality is changing and because of his absence at home after work; John's wife Beverly, played by Susan Sarandon, becomes suspicious and hires a private investigator. She soon finds out that he is in love with dancing, and not another woman. Will it change their relationship?

I will have to admit, this is not one of my favorite Richard Gere movies. It's sort of in the bottom middle of my RG movie list. I don't know why I feel this way? Maybe it's because this is more of a comedy than a romance. And you all know how I love RG romance movies! lol

Here are the things that I loved about the movie. As I said above, John is entered in a big dance competition. Paulina is the one who ends up teaching him because she used to be a professional dancer. The chemistry between the two of them in this movie is unbelievable! Here is a clip from the movie of their dance together! Just remember to turn off my music player on the right so you can hear the clip!

I also love the scene in the movie where John is dancing with his wife Beverly in the kitchen! Soo very sexy! lol However, I do not like the match of Susan Sarandon with Richard Gere. For some reason the two just don't make a match in my opinion. Maybe it's because she is a few years older, I don't know. Or maybe it's because it isn't me?! lol ;)

The one scene that brings tears to my eyes is towards the ending. It's the scene that is pictured below where John comes up the elevator into the store where Beverly is working. And the following dialogue takes place and it always makes me cry!

Beverly: "Why aren’t you at the party?"

John: "Oh, it’s a dance…to dance you need a partner. My partner is right here."

John: "Beverly, dance with me."

Beverly: "I don’t know how."

John: "Yeah, you do. You’ve been dancing with me for nineteen years."

Beverly: "I don’t know the steps."

John: "I’ll teach you."

Beverly: "Here?"

John: "Right now."

I remember one time my husband was watching this movie and I was upstairs and heard the music to it, so I came down to watch the ending. I sat on the couch and said to my husband I think I am desensitized to this ending because it doesn't make me cry anymore. Well wouldn't you know it...RG comes up the escalator and tears just start streaming down my face! lol

Favorite Quotes:

Paulina: "The rumba is the vertical expression of a horizontal wish. You have to hold her, like the skin on her thigh is your reason for living. Let her go, like your heart's being ripped from your chest. Throw her back, like you're going to have your way with her right here on the dance floor. And then finish, like she's ruined you for life."

John: "The one thing I am proudest of in my whole life, is that you're happy with me. If I couldn't, if I couldn't tell you that I was unhappy sometimes, is because I didn't want to risk hurting the one person I treasure most. I'm so sorry."

John: "We need a witness to our lives. There's a billion people on the planet..... I mean, what does any one life mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything. The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things..... all of it, all the time, every day. You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness."

I give this a Richard Gere hotness rating of about an 8. I like a man who knows how to dance! ;)

And a man in a tie is always sexy too! ;)