Marilyn Hotckiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School (2005)

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"Dance is a very powerful drug, Mr. Keane. If embraced judiciously, it can exorcise demons, access deep seated emotions and color your life in joyous shades of brilliant magenta that you never knew existed."

Frank Keane (Robert Carlyle) has been dragging through life since his beloved wife's death. Basically he goes to work as a baker and he reluctantly participates in group therapy with other grieving widowers under the direction of Dr. Rafael Horowitz (David Paymer).

One day, while driving, Keane comes across the scene of a serious accident and attempts to comfort the injured driver, Steve Mills (John Goodman). Mills was enroute to fulfill a promise he had made 42 years before -- to meet up with Lisa Gobar, his first love, at Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School where Mills and Gobar had their first tender pre-pubescent flirtations.

Keane stays right with the seriously injured Mills for the long ambulance ride and hears Mills recount the story of the young love and the importance to him of fulfilling the promise he'd made. Mills pledges Keane to please go to the dance school and explain to the adult Gobar what had happened so she won't be left thinking he'd forgotten her.

Upon arriving at the dance school, Keane finds that Marilyn was long since deceased but her daughter Marienne (Mary Steenburgen) continued her mother's tradition. Will Keane find Mills' first love? Will he find something else?

A charming little story packed with well known actors. Appearing in various other roles including other widowers and dancers at the dance school are Marisa Tomei, Donnie Wahlberg, Sean Astin, Danny DeVito, Sonia Braga, Camryn Manheim, Adam Arkin, Ernie Hudson, Kate Mulligan.

Written and directed by Randall Miller.

Run time: 1 hour, 43 minutes

Rated PG-13 for mature situations and language.

My personal rating: B