The remake + the original, Jenny from the block and the rest of the cast

I saw the original Japanese movie first and I was enchanted. Knowing how poor Hollywood remakes usually are, I had low expectations for the American movie from the start, but I still wanted to see it because I love ballroom dancing and because the cast was impressive.

Well, the remake lost a lot because of the country the action takes place in: it is not so unusual for American men to dance, the wife is not a simple housewife who has to sum up her courage to see the private detective (it would not be politically correct to portray her as a simple housewife in a current American movie, would it? ;) , a married man falling in love with the pure and untouchable ideal woman is quite inappropriate in the Western culture, etc. Some things simply felt out to place to me in the remake.

However, the movie was not that bad either. It had its genuinely funny moments (the last one I remember was Bobbie’s little dog munching on Link’s wig), and what amused me the most was the resolution of the problems in the new cultural context. For example, because Beverly is upset that John kept his new hobby hidden, he surprises her with the rose and the romantic appearance, after which he takes her to Paulina’s farewell party. In the American happy end the wife validates in a more visible manner the husband’s hobby, which therefore does not remain a guilty longing, while in the Japanese movie Sugiyama goes alone at the party, where he finally gets to dance with Mai. Small cultural differences :)

What I thought really saved the American movie was the cast. I was quite impressed by Richard Gere and Stanley Tucci’s performances. The former has an undeniable charm, while the latter is an incredibly versatile actor. I did not think they would be so good in these parts. I also liked the supporting actors playing Miss Mitzi and the Bobbinator (this name alone also made me laugh). As for Susan Sarandon and Jennifer Lopez, they both come across as very strong women, while their characters were not supposed to excel at this trait. Susan Sarandon is a formidable actress and managed to handle her part very well, but Jennifer Lopez seemed miscast to me. I didn’t think she was able to portray Mai’s suavity and sadness (from the original movie), exactly the traits that supposedly made the main character fall in love with her! When John sees her in the beginning at the school’s window, she did not look aloof and sad, but bored and pissed! Mai, from the original movie, felt she was let down by her partner, but Paulina seemed to me to be a woman who would easily go over such an incident (while not forgetting to make the guy regret what he’s done) and quickly find a new dance partner/boyfriend, rather than sulk and give dancing up. I found this contrast between Paulina and Mai hilarious.

Jennifer Lopez seems like a “don’t-mess-with-me” woman and this trait permeated her character. Every time I looked at Paulina I saw exactly the opposite of the suave and delicate Mai :) However, in this respect I give credit to the screenwriter/director/etc for the tango scene – this fits her persona perfectly. Jennifer Lopez is not really suited for the standard section of ballroom dancing (waltz, quick-step - and her inexperience is obvious), but she has the fire for the Latin dances. (Well, ok, tango is technically included in the standard section, but its character is really closer to the Latin dances. After all, tango did originate in Argentina!)

(BTW, I thought that Jennifer’s dress in the end scene was quite inappropriate. Mai had a majestic presence in the culminating dance scene, while Paulina danced quick-step in a dress that would have disqualified her even from the Latin section in a serious dance competition (too much décolletage in front and transparency at the back)! I don’t know if it was Jennifer or the costume maker’s fault, but that dress was definitely not supposed to convey the impression that Paulina is an over-the-top-hottie!)

In the end, the movie - though not as good as the original - was still watchable and even funny.