What begins as a possible excursion in infidelity turns into a passion for dancing when he discovers that he really enjoys ballroom dancing. There, he meets Bobbie (Lisa Ann Walter), an overwhelming blonde with her eye on the ballroom dancing competition prize, Chic (Bobby Cannavale), a sleazy guy who is hoping to score with the ladies by becoming a better dancer, and sweet Vern (Omar Benson Miller), an overweight teddy bear hoping to become suave and shed a few pounds to win over his love and ask her to marry him. And let's not forget the magical Paulina (Lopez), who keeps John at arm's length, but obviously feels an attraction to him as well.
Soon, John's wife, Beverly, (Susan Sarandon) starts to suspect her husband of having an affair, since he's been working late more often and seems much happier. She hires a detective, Devine, (Richard Jenkins) and his associate, Scott (Nick Cannon, Drumline) to follow John and they find that he is simply engaged in ballroom dancing and nothing more sinister. In the meantime, John discovers that sports fanatic and co-worker Link (Stanley Tucci) is actually a ballroom dance nut and that they have much in common. The two both end up thrown into the ballroom dance competition, both being partnered with Bobbie for different dance types. Devine invites John's wife and daughter to the competition and John's ballroom dance fascination comes to light in quite an embarrasing way.
While Shall We Dance? has a sweet ending to what could have become a movie about marital betrayal via dance and romance, it's just quite boring. There is some beautiful imagery used, what with the dance scenes and the shots of Chicago. But I'm not sure that they warrant the transition to high-def. The music is both mild and exciting, depending on the scene in the movie, but there's a really cool soundtrack to the film. But that being said, Shall We Dance? does look good. Stanley Tucci is really funny in his role, but overall, the movie is just kind of dull and slow. There are some featurettes on the music and background of ballroom dance, plus some deleted scenes, and a smokin' music video by the Pussycat Dolls, but the making-of featurette was the best special feature, detailing the challenges the filmmakers and actors faced while filming. Apparently, ballroom dancing is quite difficult. If you are a ballroom dance fanatic, you'll probably get more out of this film and really enjoy it. However, if it's not your thing, you'd do better to say no to Shall We Dance?.
