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Shall We Dance? | 2004 | PG-13 | - 4.1.5

Richard Gere stars as an overworked professional who although generally happy, with a loving wife (Susan Sarandon) and daughter (Tamara Hope), feels unfulfilled. One evening, while riding the train, he notices a beautiful dance instructor (Jennifer Lopez) standing at a dance studio window, and he impulsively signs up. Soon his ballroom dancing skills improve and he decides to enter a citywide dance contest. Also with Stanley Tucci and Bobby Cannavale. Directed by Peter Chelsom. [1:35]

SEX/NUDITY 4 - A man and a woman kiss in a few scenes. A woman demonstrates the movements of the Rumba and describes it in sexual terms ("like you are going to have your way with her"). Two men dance together, then embrace and they are surrounded by other men dancing together (it is presumably a gay club). A man and a woman dance close together, hugging and caressing each other tenderly. Men discuss whether people have the impression that men who can dance are also more sexually competent than men who cannot dance. A woman dances in front of a mirror, thrusting and gyrating her hips, while three men watch her. Men and women dance close together in many scenes; some of the dances require seductive body movements and sensual gestures. Men and women dance together in a dance club; the women wear skimpy outfits revealing cleavage, bare abdomens, bare thighs and some of the men are bare-chested. A woman's skirt is accidentally pulled off while dancing in front of an audience. Women are shown in very tight-fitting, low-cut pants and skirts, short tops, low-cut tops (in front and back) that reveal cleavage, bare abdomens, bare thighs, bare backs and shoulders, throughout the movie. We hear that a man is having an affair with a woman whom he met on the Internet. Two men practice dancing together, another man enters the room and the first two pretend one of them is having an attack. Two men dance together in a dance class. Two women suspect that their husbands are having extramarital affairs. Two women talk about a man's sweat smelling good.

VIOLENCE/GORE 1 - A woman slaps a man in the face. A woman faints and we see her in the hospital emergency room with an I.V. A man and a woman dancing together stumble and fall on the floor. A woman insults people and makes fun of them in several scenes. People dancing with sticks in their arms as a training aid hit each other in the head and face accidentally. A man trips and falls over sticks and lands on the floor. Three men urinate in urinals.

LANGUAGE 5 - 1 F-word, 2 sexual references, 5 scatological terms, 7 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, 7 religious exclamations.

SUBSTANCE USE - People are shown drinking alcohol.

DISCUSSION TOPICS - Dancing, marriage, happiness, suspicion, striving for perfection, trust, honesty, disappointment, divorce, infidelity, passion, desperation, privacy, competition.

MESSAGE - Evaluate your life before it is over and make changes that will make you happier. If we are not honest with the people we treasure it can lead to misunderstandings.

CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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