innocuous romantic comedy

Buddy-51

Robert Iscove's "Love N' Dancing" chronicles the romance between an attractive middle school teacher and a deaf dance instructor she meets at a school assembly. The trouble is that Jessica (Amy Smart) is already engaged to a workaholic (a bald Billy Zane) who's always on his cell phone, while Jake (played by screenwriter Tom Malloy), who holds the title of World West Coast Swing Champion, is still carrying the torch for a former flame who has already moved onto a new love interest and dance partner.

A paint-by-numbers romantic comedy, "Love N' Dancing" has moments of undeniable charm - in its early stages at least - but the triteness of the plotting, the uncharismatic performances, the motley secondary characters (Rachel Dratch and Bette White make brief appearances), and the surfeit of implausibilities wind up taking their toll in the end.

The dancing is cool, though.

score 4/10

Buddy-51 17 June 2010

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2265712/