A little bit of glitz, a little bit of glamour and a little bit of CHER!

Rating: 8/10 (13 July 2011)

I normally like to watch dark and depressing films with a lot of substance, so every now and then you need a film like "Burlesque" to blow away the cobwebs and replace them with flashing lights and catchy tunes for your own entertainment. "Burlesque" is the exact opposite to what I normally watch and I loved every minute of it! "Burlesque" is a breath of camp fresh air, it's full of life and style. Everything is just a joy to watch, from Christina's raunchy routines to Cher's incredible one-liners, "Burlesque" has got it all. The obvious highlight for me has to be the wonderful Cher! She made this film as the stressed-out club owner, giving out some hilarious one-liners like "How many times have I held your head above the toilet as you threw up everything but your memories" what does that even mean? It doesn't even make sense and that is why she is just hilarious! Cher's acting is also superb, I've never seen her act before but she is fantastic and very likable indeed.
However, it's not all rosy, because although Cher belts out an incredible power ballad that puts Christina's voice to shame (the bloody Cher wannabee!) Cher only gets to sing two songs! The first one being her in some very risqué clothing for an 80 year old (still looking fresh Cher). This is the Christina show and although she is actually a pretty good actress and bearable singer, she is just no match for Cher. Whenever Christina is on her own your just waiting for your next Cher fix because she has all the best lines and also is THE best character in the film.
"Burlesque" is also incredibly cliché. It has read all the rom com musicals in the business because "Burlesque" is something you could read like a book! but still, this only adds to the entertainment factor and you can't help but enjoy it more because of it.
The directing and cinematography surprised me, with most of the dance and song sequences being filmed really well, and although the plot is something we've all seen before the script is hilarious at times and Stanley Tucci is also funny as Cher's gay friend/colleague.
As I've said, "Burlesque" is a hugely enjoyable show, performed on a stage full of likable style and remarkable glitz (whatever that means). It boasts great acting (Cher), catchy songs (Christina), powerful voices (Cher) as well as unintentional hilarious lines. I shouldn't really like this mega camp-fest but I loved every minute of it.