Good choreography and staging cannot make a film alone

Rating: 4/10 (23 December 2010)

Being a Christina Agulera and Cher fan, the prospect of this film, and the trailer really enticed me to go and see it, however I was bitterly disappointed. Where the film really excels is on the stage. The dance routines are well choreographed and staged and do have an air of excitement about them, however once the heftier dialogue scenes took place you can see that neither the script nor the storyline have legs.
The characters were very two-dimensional especially from the younger cast. Agulera's character didn't even seem to transition as she went from place to place, through each struggle. She played a so sweet she'd rot your teeth small town girl, with a big brain and big talent and her aggressive outbursts were laughable. Clearly Agulera does have a talent, which was over showcased, for singing. Her acting ability needs more work, her chemistry with the insanely good looking Cam Gigandet was as flat as the glass of coke thats been by my bed for 2 weeks. Other performers also failed to shine, Stanly Tucci who I am a fan of played his usual gay character with little enthusiasm and Kirsten Bell acting her abysmal dialogue as best she could.
Cher clearly had the best character to work with, and played it reasonably well, and though with an inferior voice to Agulera, her numbers were a nice break from the excessive use of Agulera. Her face, however is so frozen in time that her acting ability is marred by the lack of expression her face can muster.
The storyline was extremely weak and some of the scenes in the movie seemed to come straight out of the far superior Cabaret, starring Liza Minelli. Even though musicals don't have to have amazing story lines, it at least has to try and make the one it has as enjoyable as possible. Too much was crammed in. Several love affairs, the financial difficulties of the club, rivalry between the girls, hidden talents and friendships. Choosing one or two paths may have made this film far better, but it tried to fill too much into its excessive running time. The songs in the film though enjoyable were a little uninspired, and with Christina Agulera singing virtually every number they all start to sound a little too similar.
All in all I really would not recommend this film, good song and dance sequences cannot lift this film from mediocrity and below. I went in knowing Christina Agulera had a good voice, I came out knowing nothing of the contrary. A little more scope and storyline could have made this film a whole lot more enjoyable. Instead I recommend watching Chicago or Cabaret again.