Moulin Rouge (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Set against the backdrop of 19th century Paris & the infamous Montmartre cabaret, this is the simultaneously odd & enchanting story of a doomed love affair btwn. penniless poet Christian (Ewan McGregor, so good) & Satine (Nicole Kidman, incredible), a courtesan & performer at the 'Moulin Rouge' ... the title of this film, directed by Australia's Baz Luhrmann. In trying to tie together realism, surrealism, & fantasy with melodrama, slapstick comedy & musical numbers ... Luhrmann has created a bit of a conglomerate mess. But, oh, what a beautiful, scintillating & emotive mess it is. Genuine performances from the 2 leads & the talented ensemble go a long, long way, as well.
Paris, 1899: The narrator for this story IS Christian, the young English poet who's come to the city of lights as a young, wannabe Bohemian. Soon enough, he meets a colorful group of bohemians, led by a dwarf, Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who believe in freedom, truth, beauty, & love. Perfect. Before long, they convince Christian to write a musical show for them to be performed at the dark, but brilliant underworld night club known as the Moulin Rouge; a place of glamour, electricity, sex, & drugs. The night they all arrive at the club, Christian meets Satine, star of MR's racy revue. He becomes infatuated with her. And though it takes some convincing (in a great scene), she falls for him, as well. But she is also being pursued by a wealthy duke (a slimy Richard Roxburgh) whose investment at the MR would make the club's eccentric owner, Harold Zidler (a hysterical Jim Broadbent), a very rich man. In a crazy, whirlwind tale of twists, turns, soaring songs, roller coaster drops, high life, low life, aristocrats, servants, poets, actresses, prostitutes, & disease ... 'Moulin Rouge' plays out as the ultimate tragic love affair.
It's rare to find one straight moment in this film. Almost everything is turned a dial to the left or right of center; verging on unabashed silliness. 'Moulin Rouge' is bold, brazen, controversial & mercurial. You feel like it's from another planet, and that you've never seen anything like it before; just the type of movie that divides critics & audiences. Because of the rampant drug use of the time & place, the film often comes across as a dizzying, frenetic, dazzling feast of sound & motion ... almost hallucinatory. And it's sometimes hard to swallow. I acknowledge its bizarrities, I acknowledge its faults, but I was ultimately taken away with it throughout.
Part of its success can be attributed to the 20th century infusion of pop songs into a 19th century setting. The musical numbers are spectacular. Songs from The Sound of Music & Madonna pop up. Kidman sings Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend in her opening sequence. And Elton John's Your Song makes a big impression during a SUPERB montage; after Christian & Satine's declaration of love to one another is official. The application of these familiar tunes into an old setting is just very creative. The plot in 'Moulin Rouge' is fairly basic, but the love story makes it truly special. Ewan McGregor is likeable, naive & romantic. Kidman is smoldering, sweet & tragic (as a deadly secret is being withheld from her). Their chemistry is the glue that holds this audacious, chaotic, but beautiful film together.
Technically, this movie is a wonder to behold: sweeping cinematography, gorgeous use of color, aggressive editing, wonderful dancing, lush art direction, brilliant costumes, unique hair & make-up work, & surrealistic depictions. It's simultaneously exhilarating & exhausting to take-in. Overall, 'Moulin Rouge' is an ambitious, mostly satisfying fairy tale ... a modern musical/fantasy. A spectacle. Everything is in excess; even the dialogue & characterizations. Most aspects of the film are glorious, some are misfires. But we get sssssssucked in, whether we want to or not.
Paris, 1899: The narrator for this story IS Christian, the young English poet who's come to the city of lights as a young, wannabe Bohemian. Soon enough, he meets a colorful group of bohemians, led by a dwarf, Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who believe in freedom, truth, beauty, & love. Perfect. Before long, they convince Christian to write a musical show for them to be performed at the dark, but brilliant underworld night club known as the Moulin Rouge; a place of glamour, electricity, sex, & drugs. The night they all arrive at the club, Christian meets Satine, star of MR's racy revue. He becomes infatuated with her. And though it takes some convincing (in a great scene), she falls for him, as well. But she is also being pursued by a wealthy duke (a slimy Richard Roxburgh) whose investment at the MR would make the club's eccentric owner, Harold Zidler (a hysterical Jim Broadbent), a very rich man. In a crazy, whirlwind tale of twists, turns, soaring songs, roller coaster drops, high life, low life, aristocrats, servants, poets, actresses, prostitutes, & disease ... 'Moulin Rouge' plays out as the ultimate tragic love affair.
It's rare to find one straight moment in this film. Almost everything is turned a dial to the left or right of center; verging on unabashed silliness. 'Moulin Rouge' is bold, brazen, controversial & mercurial. You feel like it's from another planet, and that you've never seen anything like it before; just the type of movie that divides critics & audiences. Because of the rampant drug use of the time & place, the film often comes across as a dizzying, frenetic, dazzling feast of sound & motion ... almost hallucinatory. And it's sometimes hard to swallow. I acknowledge its bizarrities, I acknowledge its faults, but I was ultimately taken away with it throughout.
Part of its success can be attributed to the 20th century infusion of pop songs into a 19th century setting. The musical numbers are spectacular. Songs from The Sound of Music & Madonna pop up. Kidman sings Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend in her opening sequence. And Elton John's Your Song makes a big impression during a SUPERB montage; after Christian & Satine's declaration of love to one another is official. The application of these familiar tunes into an old setting is just very creative. The plot in 'Moulin Rouge' is fairly basic, but the love story makes it truly special. Ewan McGregor is likeable, naive & romantic. Kidman is smoldering, sweet & tragic (as a deadly secret is being withheld from her). Their chemistry is the glue that holds this audacious, chaotic, but beautiful film together.
Technically, this movie is a wonder to behold: sweeping cinematography, gorgeous use of color, aggressive editing, wonderful dancing, lush art direction, brilliant costumes, unique hair & make-up work, & surrealistic depictions. It's simultaneously exhilarating & exhausting to take-in. Overall, 'Moulin Rouge' is an ambitious, mostly satisfying fairy tale ... a modern musical/fantasy. A spectacle. Everything is in excess; even the dialogue & characterizations. Most aspects of the film are glorious, some are misfires. But we get sssssssucked in, whether we want to or not.