Review of Burlesque (2010) by Talsheqaih — 12 Oct 2014

Burlesque is a movie that falls into the musical genre with a dramatic twist. This movie was a hit for being the musical masterpiece it is. Unlike what the name suggests Burlesque is not a movie that showcases nudity or provocative dancing. This movie exceeded expectations by having a well-written plot and a perfect execution. This movie targets people from all ages and provides a sense of motivation to achieve ones dreams by conveying the story as an impossible dream to be achieved with no resources or connections. It showcases pure talent and its ability to express feelings and get ahead in a world full of hardships. It also portrays a sense of freedom and independence that makes one thinks of their own life with a positive attitude.

The story follows a small town girl called Ali (played by Christina Aguilera) who decides to move into the city of Los Angles. With no experience in life this young and ambitious girl tries to find a job to help her survive. Soon after Ali loses hope having all doors shut in her face and decides to spend her last 20 dollars to pay her cover at a club that appears as a strip club on Sunset Strip. Walking into the building, Ali is fascinated by the dancers and their performance and she immediately finds her self drown to that stage and that lifestyle. The main set of the movie is in the club and as Ali moves up in the burlesque world there are different relationships that form and break along the way.

The movie also features Cam Gigandet and Cher who are main characters in Ali’s life. Cher is the club owner who goes by Tess. In this musical Christina Aguilera comes out with new songs of her own and some covers of songs of Etta James and Aretha Franklin. Cher also performs songs in the movie and takes part of the burlesque show at some points. She also represents the motherly figure for Ali, as they grow closer. Being that Ali’s mother died at a young age Cher provides advice with her love life and teaches Ali how to do her make up as a mother would do. As a club owner and a performer, Cher has a tough part to act. She goes through financial hardships in the movie and almost loses the club leading her to pay no attention to the motivated Ali and her amazing talent. During the movie, every time there appears to be a hardship and it seems like the club is doomed for closure, there is also hope for everything to turn around to save the club. That ties in to when the singing talent of Ali is discovered and the whole show is planned around her. However, when that fails to raise enough money and the buyers for the club are making less offers Ali finds a way to save the club by selling air rights above the building. The story about financial issues that seem unsolvable is what the audience can relate to. The way it is portrayed in the movie is realistic and unlike other movies in the same genre, talent was not the solution to this problem. Most musicals use songs as a resolution for issues because they showcase the power of music and talent in the world. In this movie singing is an expression of feelings and no matter how deep or shallow the songs are, singing was not a cure for financial problems.

Gigandet comes in as the friend who works at the bar within the club who tries to help Ali. He offers her a place to stay until she gets back on her feet. Then ends up needing her to afford his raised rent. In the beginning of the movie Cam is engaged to a different girl who is not very involved in the club scene but due to trust issues they break up. When he becomes available, Ali starts dating one of the club’s usual members who is also a potential buyer. When Ali finds out about his plans to buy the club to build a strip mall she breaks up with him and becomes determined to save the club from closure. Eventually Ali and Cam are both available and they start a relationship of their own that blossom during the show and they become each other’s inspiration. Along with being a musical this movie has a love story that is not related to the music as much as it relates to the struggles in their life. Having both gone through bad relationships the songs are mainly focused on the mistakes of the past and not much on the happy relationship that unites them. However, at the end of the movie the couple deliver a song that concludes the movie.

Another noticeable aspect of the movie is its appeal to homosexual individuals. By having a gay designer/stylist who works at the club this movie displays a hint of homosexuality. The designer also has the role of Cher’s best friend who she turns to for advice on her personal life and money problems. He starts a relationship with another guy on the show who is not involved in the club scene. His role is not very important in the show but that attracts the homosexual audience to watch the movie. Having a same sex couple in movies increases the movie’s rates and it appeals to a different community. This is a strategy that is becoming popular.