Review of Moulin Rouge! (2001) by Filipeneto — 22 Jan 2020

It's a good movie, but maybe if it weren't musical it would have been better.

This film is a mind-boggling trip to the bohemian world of Paris of other times, when the city of lights was the capital of vice and art, in a Europe more interesting than today. The Moulin Rouge is a cabaret, one of the most famous in the city, and it still exists, but this film shows its golden age, when the choristers were also prostitutes or "suggar-babies" of the elite. The script is based on a triangle of love, sensuality and interest formed by the chorus singer Satine, the powerful Duke and the romantic Christian, an English writer who falls in love with her.

This film has a beautiful tragic love story to tell, and that was what I liked most here. The best scenes in the film are the most romantic and the final part. Nicole Kidman looks wonderful, knows how to be sexy without being vulgar, and has very good chemistry with Ewan McGregor, who is another great actor in great shape here. The film was good for both their careers and they both earned all the credit they got. In the supporting cast, Richard Roxburgh and Jim Broadbent deserve an applause for their good work.

The problem with this film is, basically, everything else. Instead of focusing on history, creating a romantic drama with tragic contours, the dazzle of Paris was stronger and decided on a Broadway-style musical. This can be pleasant, in other films, when it is done properly. "Les Misérables" or "Sweeny Todd" are good examples of films of this style that worked wonderfully. Here, the Broadway style and the comic touches came totally out of the question and only served to distract us. Of course, in the middle of the error there are good things. For example, the songs were excellent (Your Song is particularly striking) and so was the music. The entire choreography and dance department of the film deserved to be congratulated for the excellent work, at the level of the best that is done on Broadway. I just think that the film, due to the good love story it brings, did not ask for this cheerful style, especially if we take into account the tragic touch it has. I didn't like John Leguizamo either. He looked like a clown all the time.

The film was well directed by Baz Luhrmann, but the film may not be as good as other films of his career, like "Gatsby", which was one of the best films he directed, in my opinion. Here, I think he was too bold and followed a path that he shouldn't have followed. But despite that, the film has quality and is worth the time we spent watching it.