Darf ich bitten? (2004)

Darf ich bitten?: Directed by Peter Chelsom. With Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Ann Walter. A romantic comedy where a bored, overworked Estate Lawyer, upon first sight of a beautiful instructor, signs up for ballroom dancing lessons.

“One of the worst things anyone can do is to try to tackle something that was made better. Hollywood doesnu0026#39;t seem to learn its lesson at all. In trying to u0026quot;Americanizeu0026quot; the great Japanese film of the same name, the film makers had no idea what they were getting into. In fact, the original film, directed with great flair by Masoyuki Suo, loses all its charm with this reincarnation.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThat said, this edition of u0026quot;Shall we Danceu0026quot; directed by Peter Chelsom, is not a horrible movie, but the freshness and subtleness of its Japanese model was lost in the translation. While the Japanese version was light and captivating, this adaptation is a bit heavy handed. The editing of the film has a lot to do with out enjoyment, and when the dance sequences in the competition are clumsily handled as itu0026#39;s the case here, one wonders what could the creators have been looking at?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe idea of seeing Richard Gere as the man who is intrigued by the dancing he sees as he passes the dance academy, is not as credible as one would have expected to be. Mr. Gere is versatile enough as he already showed with his role in u0026quot;Chicagou0026quot;. The idea of his character pulling the wool over his wife Beverlyu0026#39;s eyes doesnu0026#39;t come across as too credible. It seems to be a cultural difference that a Japanese wife might be less vocal and accepting a straying husband than in this country by an American wife. Thatu0026#39;s basically the fatal flaw with the movie, in our humble opinion.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eJennifer Lopez comes across better. As Paulina she shows a professional attitude toward her students, but her chemistry with Richard Gere doesnu0026#39;t create any sparks. Susan Sarandon, as Beverly, the wife who suspects her husbandu0026#39;s betrayal, underplays her role with better results than some of her late screen appearances. Stanley Tucciu0026#39;s character is irritating, at best and Lisa Ann Walters does what she can with Bobbie.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSince you probably have seen this version, take a chance and rent the original Japanese film and compare.”