Dance with Me

Rafael (Chayanne), a young Cuban, comes to America in search of his American father (Kristofferson) and winds up falling in love with dancer Ruby (Williams). With his bouffant hair-do and matronly hips, Chayanne looks like he has been beamed down from the '50s. Compared to street savvy Williams (surprisingly good), he's just not cool. And certainly not sexy. This works well because ballroom dancing is somewhat cheesy. But since when did Hollywood prefer grit to glitter? About halfway through, director Haines panics, and decides to sell our awkward hero as an old-fashioned heart throb. The dancing, too, is forced into a glamour suit, with a stock finale at the World Open Dance Championships. Here the film takes a dive, first because Chayanne isn't a natural dancer, and second because the moves themselves, though well choreographed, necessarily appeal to a limited market. Meanwhile, the use of Plowright as a middle-aged frump wanting to get in on the sexy action is deeply patronising.