Review of Moulin Rouge! (2001) by Julio L — 29 Apr 2012

Oh man, I heard Ewan McGregor is a great singer, but, wow, he's unreal; singing is to him what dancing is to Sam Rockwell, which kind of changes my whole out look on a lot of things, because I always thought that disc jockeys only played music because they couldn't actually sing it. Oh wait, McGregor isn't a dj; I just got confused because my way of remembering how to pronounce his name is thinking of it like the sounds of a nightclub. I mean, come on people, just listen to it: Ewan-ewan-ewan, MC Gregor. Yeah, I know that's terribly cheesy, but people, you're going to have to get used to it, seeing as that concept is going to be stuck even deeper in my head after this film, as it further associates him with music. Eh, maybe the music has always been in him, not just because his name even sounds like it pertains to disc jokeys, but because he's a Scot, and they've got plenty of musicality in their blood... I guess, because I don't know of too many Scottish musicians, though the UK is pretty much filled with musical talents, and plus, Donovan did do that one really good song about a man that can play mutiple instruments. Well, eitherway, the point is that, Ewan McGregor, like the hurdy gurdy man that Mr. Donovan was refering to, has come singing songs of love. The film is certainly like "Hurdy Gurdy Man", in that it will make you feel a little high, though unlike "Hurdy Gurdy Man", this film's evoking of that sensation isn't always a good thing.

Every film - nay - every single thing in this world that can summon opinion is a case of love-it-or-hate-it, though I can understand why the consensus specifically evoked the term in reference to this film, or at least as far as the level of cheese is concerned, as the film is so overwhelming stylized, giddy and sugary, shamelessly, if not just plain proudly overplaying slapstick, cornball dialogue and - woah boy - a fluffy score and collection of sound effects, making this one big live-action version of a classic Disney cartoon, only more animated. Still, my problem with the film isn't so match that it's overbearingly fluffy, but that it is crushingly frenetic. Somone once told me that the film is a quite slow, and if I didn't know the person so well, I would think that all she watches are the most rushed movies ever... on fast foward... while on cocaine, because this film is all over the place with overwhelming overediting and insanely frantic storytelling that will drive you half-mad, which isn't to say that the film doesn't slow down just a little bit on occasion, though not without retaining the overbearing tone, due to too much melodrama. I was always of the opinion that Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet" was so melodramatically frantic, simply because it was a humorously over-the-top adapation of a classic Shakespeare melodrama, and was also set in modern times no less; but after seeing this film, I see that the problem is actually Baz Luhrmann himself. The story, to begin with, is quite overdramatic, so I could very easily forgive it, if not praise it for its theatrics and histrionics (See "Titanic" and, well, "Romeo + Juliet"), but Luhrmann's level melodrama is filled to the rim, tainting every bit of exposition or plot point with theatrics so intense that they actually dilute the theatrical resonance. Now, it's not like Luhrmann doesn't know how to work with too much, because, again, his "Romeo + Juliet" was also very frenetic and melodramatic, but when it held back, it was earth-moving, so Luhrmann, all the contrary, boasts a great understanding of manipulating melodramatic resonance to great emotional effect, yet with this film, while there are still a good couple of points where emotional resonance really delivers, especially at that great and unexpectedly heartbreakingly dark ending, on the whole, everything is just too much, and I know that sounds like it's not much of a loss, considering how conventional and cheesy this story is to begin with, but really, this story, no matter how familiar or melodramatic, is still very much powerful and worthy, and with it being presented with surprising uniqueness and life in this adaptation, were it more comfortable, subtle and loose, it quite possibly could have been absolutely brilliant. As it stands, however, it's still pretty darn good, for although Luhrmann doesn't deliver even mildly as brilliantly as he should, he still delivers enough, nevertheless, as far as substance is concerned, while delivering more than you could possibly imagine, as far as style is concerned.

If Baz Luhrmann is secretly gay, then it's no secret, because his taste in art direction is too blasted fabulous. Production and costume designs bounce out with elaborate, lush grace and bright livliness that captivates any self-respecting respecter of aesthetics, defining both the roaring turn into the 20th Century, as well as this magical world within it, and it's made all the more riveting by Donald McAlpine's exuberant cinematography. Still, as breathtaking as the art direction is, it is merely supplementation to the true show-stopper: the show, or, most specifically, the music. The musical soundtrack is all but entirely comprised of theatrical covers of many mainstream tunes, including such death blows to quality music as Nirvana and plenty of Madonna (Ha-ha, I rhymed), two of many tumors who helped inspire the cancer that is modern music, so unless they're being rapped, they can only get better, yet these covers go far beyond my expectations, and that includes my expectations for improvements upon already excellent classic songs. This is theatrical musicality near, if not decidedly at its best, with sweep, versatility and resonance at full intensity and artistry in comfortable, organic conjunction that delivers on beautifully golden, spirit-lifting musical art, complimented by the aforementioned spectacular art direction, as well as glowing singing, which isn't to say that the performers do more than sing well. Sure, being that this is a Baz Luhrmann film, there's plenty of exaggeration in the acting material, and while he doesn't make as many people look bad as he did in, well, "Romeo + Juliet" (Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes were still pretty awesome though; just had to get that out, even though it should go without saying), there is the occasional tertiary performance that stands as rather offputting, yet everyone shines with golden charisma, particularly an especially beautiful Nicole Kidman, whose Satine character could have easily been obnoxious to the point of being an unlikable co-lead, and while she does get on your nerves here and there, she is, on the whole, made very engagingly charismatic by Kidman, especially when that charisma merges with that of the dashing Ewan McGregor (Hey y'all, I'm as straight as 180°, but that is one handsome son of a Scot) to form sparkling chemistry. Speaking of McGregor, he too really owns the stage with fiery charisma that really embodies the definitive ambition of the Christian character, yet also incorporates genuine acting skill and even some powerful emoting that makes McGregor quite the compelling lead and one of the bigger key components to this film's being so involving, which is saying quite a bit.

As the curtains fall, you'd be hard pressed to not go exhausted by the overbearingly frenetic storytelling that exacarbates the absurd cheesiness, but most of all, the overwhelming melodrama that taints the subtlety and comfort in this potentially glorious execution of a conventional, yet worthy tale, and yet, the show goes on, pushed on by breathtaking production direction and captivating cinematography that spices up the magnificent musical numbers built around a remarkable theatrical soundtrack that especially wakes you when you're kept going pretty far by a colorful cast of electric charismas, headed by a touchingly compelling duet lead acting performance by the - in many ways - eye-catching Nicole Kidman and winning Ewan McGregor that helps in ultimately making "Moulin Rouge!" (Ooh, exclamation point) a thoroughly entertaining charmer of a dazzling production.

3/5 - Good.