Cinecultist has been working hard to resist the J.Lo chip in our brain, and our No To J.Lo support group suggested the best way to do this, would be to avoid Shall We Dance. However, this is the very fare that our three readers visit Cinecultist.com to read reviews of — and that's why CC turned to our Mom, based in San Francisco where she caught an advance screening last week, for her expert opinion.
This is a moviegoer who took the impressionable, 11 year old Cinecultist to see Cocktail in the theaters, plus she's a fan of the Japanese original and in the older chick demographic which offers a strong opening weekend for a Richard Gere movie. But even that wasn't enough to persuade CC's Mom to recommend it to our readers.
I looked forward to seeing the film, actually dragging along Danny, who went as the patient boyfriend to see it. As you know, I am a huge fan of any type of dance and spending the evening looking at Richard Gere is always a treat. However, I was totally disappointed. The subtleness of the Japanese version was lost in this film. I cared nothing about the male character trying to find meaning in mid life, and to top if off, the dancing was minimal and mediocre...certainly no John Travolta moment. Jennifer Lopez who is a great dancer was captured on screen very little. They seemed to be trying to promote her acting ability....what a waste. So, the whole thing was a bust and now I have to sit through some car chase movie because Danny gets the next pick.Posted by karen at October 17, 2004 10:52 PM