Shall We Dance

Synopsis: John Clark is a middle aged Chicago estate lawyer. He loves his family, which includes his wife Beverly, but their combined busy schedules and getting caught in a rut after two decades of marriage has left him feeling unfulfilled. While taking the el train home every night, he notices the same young, beautiful contemplative woman staring out of one of the windows of Miss Mitzi's Dance Studio, which specializes in ballroom. He is intrigued enough with her beauty and sadness to go in one evening on his way home. He learns that she is Paulina, one of the instructors and a former world class ballroom dancer. Because of her, he signs up for beginner group dance lessons, regardless of them being taught by Miss Mitzi herself, and not Paulina. As time progresses, John gets caught up in the lives of those at Miss Mitzi's: his two fellow classmates - overweight Vern who wants to learn to dance for his upcoming wedding, and Chic, who wants to impress the ladies - and two of the studio's competiti
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Director(s): Peter Chelsom
Production: Miramax Films
  7 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.1
Metacritic:
47
Rotten Tomatoes:
46%
PG-13
Year:
2004
106 min
$57,825,111
Website
3,390 Views


A million and a half people

ride the El trains every day.

Over 20 years, I've written wills

for about 8.000 of 'em.

I've sat with 'em as they've

combed through their assets.

Figured out which kid gets

the painting over the fireplace,

which one gets the

antique spoon collection.

Last thanks, parting shots, confessions...

People try to fit it all in.

And once I've finished,

another life has been summed up -

assets and debts tallied,

then zeroed out.

You initial here and there,

you sign at the bottom...

then, If you're like most clients,

you look up, smile,

and you ask the question I've heard

for 20 years:
"Is that it, then?"

"That's it for the paperwork", I tell 'em.

"The rest is up to you."

# Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you

# Happy birthday, dear Dad

Happy birthday to you

Ohh, wow. Beautiful.

All right, make a wish.

Sorry. I just have

to take this call.

- Did you win?

- "Take this call"?

- She's 14. How can she be "taking calls"?

- Jen, not now. Now's not the time.

Remind me, why was it we agreed

to give her the phone?

- Emergencies.

- Which this is, by the way.

Serious problem over there.

Get off, Jen.

Now, please. Come on.

- All right!

- Come on, get off.

Yeah, my dad's just gonna blow out

about a million candles. Bye.

All right, everyone,

are we all happy now?

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you.

- Sorry about the bathrobe.

- What do you mean?

Oh, I just had such a hard time

getting you a present.

I love this bathrobe.

I think the problem is that

you never really want anything.

- That's not true.

- That's true.

- Tell me one thing that you really want.

- What you gave me tonight.

Evan coming home, everyone's

at dinner, that cake you make...

Tell me one thing that you want

that comes in a box.

I rest my case.

Yes! That's it! That's it!

That's what we needed.

Good night, Mary.

I left the Anderson will on your desk.

Night, Bill.

Next stop. Sedgwick.

Hello. I'm home.

There's a female bonding ritual

going on in the den.

- I know.

- What are they doing in there?

Tattooing "I love Satan" on their foreheads,

piercing their bellybuttons, stuff like that.

- Great. What did you say about that?

- I said, "Don't get any blood on the couch."

I worry about Jenna. She's

too beautiful. That's your fault.

- Here, sign this.

- What is it?

- It's your mom's birthday card.

- Oh, God, thank you.

- How was your workout?

- Same. How are you?

Fine. You know, ordering the

spring line at the store, yada-yada.

- I've got to get going.

- I thought you just got here.

Yeah, but it's the fundraiser

at Jen's school.

So your dinner's in the oven

and the girls have already eaten.

Can we go see a movie sometime?

Yeah. Or at least we could

look at the ads in the paper together.

How are you doing?

Fine.

Check on them now and then, OK?

Don't wait up.

Get out of here, Dad!

Bev? It's not true

that I don't want anything.

Bev?

Doors open on the right.

- Doors closing. Next stop, Sedgwick.

- Excuse me.

Oh, my God. What are you doing?

What are you doing?

You know what?

I'm gonna just go up.

Oh, my God.

That was a great class.

Come on.

- Are we goin' up, or what?

- I'm just trying to...

Here.

- OK, don't do that.

- Do what?

Stand there looking dumb.

It's just not cute in a guy your age.

Be a doll and help me

carry my clothes.

Come on.

And stop lookin' at my ass.

I'll try.

T... A... N-G-O...

T... A... N-G-O...

T... A... N-G... Oh!

- I found him at the bottom of the stairs.

- Um... Uh...

Paulina, could you help?

Excuse me.

May I help you?

The sign said

"Feel free to watch."

Are you here for lessons?

Yes.

- Mr...?

- Clark.

Are you registering

as a couple or as a single?

Single. I mean, not that I'm...

Single. Yeah, just me.

Single privates are $45 an hour. If you buy

six at a time, the price per class drops $5.

- Have you ever danced before?

- No. No. But I'm a fast learner.

We're starting a new intro

ballroom series for singles.

I recommend that beginners start with that.

There's still room in the class.

It meets every Wednesday

at 7:
30, for eight weeks.

All right.

Right, Wednesdays, 7:30. Great.

Great. Well...

- I'll come back then. Thank you.

- Mr. Clark?

Where are you going?

The class starts tonight.

Tonight?

Oh, right, yeah.

Wednesday, 7:
30.

You can wait over there.

We'll begin shortly.

OK...

Hey. I'm Vern.

John.

- You beginning ballroom?

- Yeah, looks that way. Yeah.

- Chic. Hey.

- Hey.

So, you dance much?

High-school prom.

"Stairway to Heaven."

- You?

- Not even a prom. I didn't go.

Anybody see any girls?

I mean, I'm here for the babes, right.

I mean, it can't be just us, can it?

Guys dancin' with guys ain't my kinda

thing, you know? No offense, sir.

None taken.

Hi.

See the slinky one with the eyebrows?

That's me - if you don't mind.

I know you won't mind.

- Be my guest.

- All right.

Work the goods.

Oh, yeah. Here they come.

Come to Papa.

Here they...

Ouch.

Memories of high school, huh, boys?

Good evening, gentlemen, and

welcome to the beginner's ballroom class.

My name is Miss Mitzi. I am the owner

of this dancing establishment,

and I am going to be your teacher.

Disappointed that I'm older?

Yes. I mean, no. I mean...

Hey, you look... experienced.

Forward, side, closed...

Back, side, close.

Very good, Chic.

Is it "Chick," or "Sheek"?

- Whoa! "Chick."

- "Chick."

- Yes. Very good.

- Easy.

Remember to use

the balls of your feet.

Wait a minute, Vern.

Where is your right foot?

- It's right back there. See?

- Yes, I know. It hasn't moved, has it?

Not yet.

- Well, now would be a good time.

- OK.

- OK? Close.

- Close...

Excellent. Very good.

All right. Forward, side, close.

Back, side, close.

One, two, three, rise.

- Hey, hey, hey!

- You guys saw that?

Excellent, gentlemen.

Excellent.

Keep your sticks up.

Promenade.

- And...

- Counter-promenade.

Let me see what you're doing. Ah!

- Miss Mitzi, I'm sorry. Sorry.

- God! Jesus!

- I said I'm sorry.

- Put the stick down.

We're not gonna play with these sticks

anymore if you boys won't behave.

A little faster this time. And...

Heel, toe, toe-toe,

toe, heel, toe-toe.

Excuse me. When we go forward,

is it heel-toe or toe...

It's forward, heel, toe, toe...

So it's back... Whoa...

Harder than it looks,

isn't it, gentlemen?

Well, you've all done very very well

for your first lesson.

And before you leave tonight,

I'm gonna give you a little incentive

to keep on dancing.

Paulina?

Would you and Francesco mind giving

our new students a little demonstration?

Certainly, Miss Mitzi.

Daphne?

Thank you, Paulina.

Whoo! Whoo!

That was beautiful.

- You all right?

- Yeah, I'm good.

Hey, guys, wait up.

I'm comin'.

Great. How lucky for us.

- Hey.

- Where are we goin'?

- Somewhere close.

- Yeah. I haven't got long.

Anyway. You guys.

Don't go to Jim's.

They got a bad roach problem

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote

Audrey Wells

Audrey Wells (born April 29, 1960) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer.Wells was born in San Francisco, California, and worked as a disc jockey at San Francisco jazz radio station KJAZ FM. She graduated from U.C. Berkeley and UCLA. She has written a number of successful screenplays and has directed three for which she had created the script. Among her notable works is The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996) and Under the Tuscan Sun (2003), both of which she also produced. Her works to date have been primarily comedies and/or romance films. Her 1999 film Guinevere was entered into the 21st Moscow International Film Festival.Wells co-wrote the script for the comedy The Game Plan. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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