I was once a huge Richard Gere fan. He has given us some amazing performances in some great (and not so great) films over the years. In 1999 he appeared in Runaway Bride, and it looked like things would just keep on rolling. But they didn’t. The wheels came off the car and Gere has spun out of control ever since. He was terrible in Autumn in New York, he was dreadful in Dr. T & the Women (truly one of the worst films I have ever seen), he was bland in The Mothman Prophecies, he was WAY overrated in Chicago and he was totally upstaged by the entire cast in Unfaithful.
This big string of sub-par performances has left me indifferent to Gere at best, and actively wanting to avoid his films at worst. So what do you get when you put him in a movie with the single most overrated “actress” working in Hollywood today (Jennifer Lopez)? You get Shall We Dance?
I moaned out loud the first time I saw the trailer. I covered my eyes the second time. Coming Soon gives us this little synopsis:
In this remake of the Japanese romantic comedy, Gere plays lawyer John Clark, who realizes he’s not fully happy with his life and his marriage to Sarandon, so he takes up ballroom dancing without telling her. Of course, she assumes he’s having an affair.
Is it just me? Am I crazy? I’m reading other writers who are looking forward to this film. Am I missing something?!?!
Who knows, this movie could turn out to be a classic. It could be very funny and touching and prove to be a big box office success too! Oh wait, I forgot Lopez was in it…. forget everything I just said.
If done right (te he) the remake could work. And it’s hard to really mess up a movie too badly when dancing plays a huge part of it (te he).
Anyway, say what you like about Lopez she’s always absolutely riveting onscreen and can hold her own as an actress even though some of her films have had bad story lines. Problem with her is that she played the CELEBRITY CARD and the I-want-to-be-the-next-Estee Lauder-and-Calvin Klein-mogul and we just got sick of her (as well we should have). She’s like some sort of monster now.
Gere? Yawn! Problem with him is I think his Buddhism has stolen the electricity he once had onscreen. He just lost that EDGE. HE’s so chilled out that when he’s trying to be otherwise or should be he comes off as patronizing.
But I just wouldn’t be surprised if the movie does big box office just because people are wanting to go the the movies these days because life (War, upcoming elections, no healthcare, etc.) is kinda depressing.
I could be worse. It could’ve been Affleck….again!