Director: Peter Chelsom, US, 106min
Stars: Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Ann Walter
On general release
Dance may be the vertical expression of a horizontal desire, but Shall We Dance is so lacking in passion that a headache is inevitable. In a remake of the far more subtle 1997 Japanese hit of the same name, Gere is the man who has everything: a successful career, a fantastic wife (Sarandon) and great kids. But something is missing, so when he spots a forlorn looking girl (Lopez) at a dance studio, he decides that lessons with a beauty may be just the tonic he needs.
Of course, a catalogue of catastrophes and a cast of stereotypes do their best to thwart the path of true lust. Strictly Ballroom this is not. Most people with a pulse will need a couple of painkillers to reach the anti-climax.
Anita James