Burle Femmes

Rating: 5/10 (25 March 2014)

Picture it: Super bowl 2014. I had to find the movies to watch during "the game" that would be such the opposite from what the core audience of that silly football game would want to see. Part I of my night was my first time seeing: Burlesque.
Now, I absolutely love Cher. Mildly like Christina Aguilera and the rest of the cast, but I live by and salute Cher. Still, it took me until 2/2/2014 to see Burlesque. Maybe because I thought it was a musical, or because the trailers that spoiled everything, weren't that appealing.
After seeing the film, I recognized all the clichés, the problems, the bad acting, bad dialogue and been-there-done-that moments. Still, I liked it. With reservations.
Small-town girl with a big heart gets sucked into the glamour of showbiz and, SHOCKER, she makes it big. Glitter takes over and she has to remain grounded long enough for her and the All About Eve Mentor (i.e. Cher,) to both get along, but work together to defeat the thin plot of their adversary.
This movie is a definite leave-your-brain-at-the-door feature. It's nothing huge, special or refreshing, but it is fun when you ignore all that's come before it. Perhaps, I'm biased, but c'monit's Cher. She's not getting any younger and it's great to see her spunk once more. And the music's great, the humor, though obvious, is still nice and the set/costumes, while unrealistic, are still entertaining.
They didn't make a groundbreaking film and I'm sure all involved would admit that. But, they made something enjoyable for a laid back, mid-Saturday feature to watch.
Take heed, however: You probably should really enjoy Cher to enjoy this. Or maybe think Christina's hot? I dunno.
What I do know is: don't expect the world, and you'll want a ticket to Burlesque.
* * * Final thoughts: Oddly enough, though I did chose this as my first film of my double feature during the 2014 Super Bowl, it would also serve me when I later discovered the podcast: How Did This Get Made? This was their very first podcasted subject, so I could safely listen to that spoiler-rich 'cast while they unabashedly and hilariously bashed the film. They also pointed out a ton I missed. But, then, again, I wasn't looking too deep. Like watching a Friday the 13th sequel – a later one, that is, one cannot expect 5/5 stars. Just leave that brainat the door.