The Other Team

Rating: 6/10 (17 November 2010)

Greetings again from the darkness. Just back from a screening and must admit that I was blown away by Christina Aguilera. The film is first and foremost a showcase of her talent ... and quite a talent she is!
Ali (Aguilera) is a bored, small town Iowa girl who heads off to find the bright lights of L.A. She stumbles into a Burlesque club and is immediately enchanted by the songs, the dancers and the overall feel of the place. The club is co-owned by Tess (Cher) and her ex-husband Vince (Peter Gallagher) and is headed towards financial disaster. Local real estate developer Marcus (Eric Dane) rides in on a white horse and fat wallet and offers to rescue Tess and Vince. Of course, his plans for the club are anything but altruistic.
Meanwhile, Marcus and Jack the bartender (Cam Gigandet) battle over Ali, though neither are very good at it. While that battle is going on Ali manages to beat out Nikki (Kristin Bell) for the spotlight on stage. This is when the movie really takes off, musically speaking.
From a musical perspective, Cher belts out a couple of solos that easily convince that her pipes are still full strength. Her two songs are definite highlights and it's a pleasure to see her still in top form. Aguilera has so many numbers that I lost track. Most are average songs at best, but her voice is so unique and powerful that the non-descript songs come off fine.
Must also mention Alan Cumming and especially Stanley Tucci. Mr. Tucci is clearly the best actor in the movie, though he basically reprises his character from The Devil Wears Prada.
There will be comparisons to Dreamgirls, Moulin Rouge!, Cabaret and Chicago. Writer and first time director Steve Antin pretty much stays out of the way of Cher and Aguilera, while delivering the expected product to his intended audience ... not that there's anything wrong with it.