Step, glide, stop.

This big Hollywood remake of a small Japanese sleeper is going to get knocked around the dance floor unfairly by those who have seen the 1995 original which, to be fair, is better. But this one isn't half bad. In the original, a bored Japanese accountant courting a midlife crisis takes ballroom dancing lessons and enters a competition. In the remake, so does a Chicago attorney (Richard Gere). His wife (Susan Sarandon) hires a private detective because she suspects he's having an affair.

So why doesn't he simply tell her? Dancing is not yet criminal or shameful in Bush's America. The secretiveness worked in the original because the Japanese are wary of public physical contact. At the end, Gere tells Sarandon that, although he loves her and is happy, he didn't want to hurt her by admitting that dancing makes him happier. Uh-huh. Once you accept this tortured logic you might be able to enjoy all the stereotying, glamorizing and self-aware acting on abundant display.

Gere has played so many movie lawyers (he played another dancing one in "Chicago") he could play them in his sleep, but he seems awake to the character here; surely this good actor has passed the bar by now. Jennifer Lopez, as his teacher, dances gracefully and mercifully is not called upon to act, which allows her character a certain mysterious distance called for in the script. Stanley Tucci is a frenzied delight as an office drone with Gene Kelly genes.

If you were among the few thousand who saw the original, superior in every way, don't watch this DVD (with its entertaining extras) or spoil the story (with its small surprises) for the millions who haven't.

I enjoyed it in spite of myself

This movie clearly is a big piece of fluff, but it has some warm, fun moments that make it much more palatable than I would have expected.

Gere is charming here. It's nice to see him smile in movies these days. Sarandon, as is often the case, rises above the flimsy material. Anita Gillete (I know!) is kind of a hoot and Tucci contiues to be a scene stealer. Oh yeah, JLo is in it too.

hmmm...intresting

a movie about a simple guy cursed with a normal family start's to dance well learns to dance all that jazz...or dance music whatever blah blah blah wife finds out out at first thinks he's doing something else need I say more?then (of course she hires a PI what a suprise)finds out that he's taking dance lessons then when she come to this thing...uh...compition everything turns into a bloody mess ends well of course it is a hollywood movie Richerd gere acted better than all. j-lo should really stick with music although your distracted from the plot because of the suger drenched script I mean I laughed I cryed...but after the fifth time I said "aw" I started banging my head against the coffe table. although I admitt the scene where john brought her that rose was cute but along with most of the script way to suger coated I mean if I ever saw my dad do something like that I would more than likely puke although Gere pulls off the romance thing nicely I'd rather see the japanese version myself it is most definetly sappy and over acted by all the actors except for gere
so if you like sappy romantic bad acted badly written comidies then you'll enjoy it I half did