a limit of two dances, please

Shall We Dance? (Shall We Dansu?) (1996)
3 Stars

Essentially the same movie as the 2004 remake starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Sarandon. There's nothing overly Japanese about the story, so they didn't make substantial changes. I've never thought much of Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez, but I actually think they did a better job than Kôji Yakusho and Tamiyo Kusakari — and then there's that Susan Sarandon scene at the end that really puts the remake over the top.

In short: this is pretty good, the remake's even better, but neither comes close to the movies they ripped off.

(It is interesting that the filmmakers paid homage to the "Shall We Dance" number in the lackluster The King And I, but failed to mention the greater debt they owe to the classic Astaire & Rogers' Shall We Dance and the sensational Strictly Ballroom.)