Release Date:  October 15, 2004
Rating:  PG-13 (for some sexual references and brief language)
Genre:  Comedy/Romance/Music
Run Time: 106 min.
Director:  Peter Chelsom
Actors:   Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Jennifer Lopez, Stanley Tucci, Lisa Ann Walter, Anita Gillette, Omar Benson Miller, Bobby Canavale, Richard Jenkins, Nick Canon

Do not be afraid!  Just because it bears the name Jennifer Lopez doesn’t mean it’s a bad film.  Really!  In fact, J-Lo’s character is actually very sympathetic – but this film isn’t about her, anyway.  It’s about reigniting your life and your marriage by finding your passion.  And it’s a delightful, inspiring bit of cinema.

John Clark (Richard Gere), an estate attorney who commutes back and forth to Chicago on the L train every day, is more than bored with life.  So when he spots the staggeringly beautiful Paulina (Lopez) staring out of a dance studio window, he’s more than a little intrigued.  Moved by a sudden surge of male libido, Gere signs up for dance lessons, but is dismayed when an older woman and the owner of the run-down dance studio, Miss Mitzi, teaches the class instead.

Meanwhile, John’s wife Beverly (Susan Sarandon) is starting to get suspicious at her husband’s weekly absences, so she hires a detective (Richard Jenkins), who gets a big crush on her.  While the detective doesn’t discover any infidelity, what he learns may be far worse: John Clark is ballroom dancing.  Something is terribly wrong.

This American remake of a Japanese film is gentle, fun and rewarding.  Director Peter Chelsom (“Serendipity”) does a good job with his scenes, which move quickly despite a few minor incongruities and one very bad scene in an underground garage that we’re willing to overlook.  The dialogue is funny, with some good laughs, and the acting couldn’t be better.

I loved Anita Gillette’s Miss Mitzi, whose desire for teaching is renewed, which gives her the courage to renounce the bottle.  As John’s classmates, Chic (Bobby Canavale, “The Station Agent”) and Vern (Omar Benson Miller, “8-Mile”) are great, adding both depth and laughs as they learn to dance, as well as a nice message about being kind to those who are obese.  As Bobbie, the wannabe dancer-waitress, Lisa Ann Walter is sassy and funny, especially when she keeps telling the men to quit looking at her rear (almost half of the dozen profanities in the film come from her use of the word a-- in this context).

Gere proves himself once again to be a very adept actor, and watching his loneliness slowly transform into joy is sheer delight.  He showed us he could dance in “Chicago,” and he does it once again.  It must also be said that there were gasps from the ladies when his character appeared at the top of the escalator in a tuxedo, carrying a red, red rose.  Having been married for more than a decade, however, I know what these women were dreaming of wasn’t Gere, despite his stunning good looks.  It’s the possibility, however remote, that their husbands might someday sweep them off their feet in a similarly romantic gesture.  Ah, a woman can dream, can’t she?