Burlesque

Rating: 5/10 (7 January 2011)

When I saw the trailer I liked the look of it, it looked like some kind of near copycat version of Chicago, not necessarily as musical, and I was very keen to see the singer with the powerful voice in her first film role. Basically Iowa waitress Alice Marilyn 'Ali' Rose (Christina Aguilera) quits her job and take the money she needs from the till to travel to Los Angeles for a new and more exciting career in singing and dancing. After trying a few places in the newspaper she finds a place on Sunset Boulevard called "Burlesque", a bar and club where people do well choreographed dancing, but mime to all the great artists rather than sing themselves. She meets bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet) who points her to the manager of the struggling club, retired dancer but still singer Tess (Cher), she isn't persuaded to give her an audition to be part of the team on stage, but Ali does get a job as waitress. After a while of working there a few people notice Ali around, and soon enough Tess and her ex-husband Sean (Stanley Tucci) are holding auditions for new talent, and she manages to sneak on to try, and eventually the owner gives in and allows her to be a dancer. After being robbed Ali shows up at Jack's apartment asking to stay with him, he accepts, and he proves he may have hidden talent as well as he is a talented musician, but he also has a fiancée. Tess and Sean are trying to sort the financial difficulties, and they are not giving into the offers from Marcus Gerber (Eric Dane) who wants to buy, but Vince (Peter Gallagher) doesn't think they can last much longer. One night when performer Nikki (Forgetting Sarah Marshall's Kristen Bell) turns up drunk and is refused to go on stage, she stops the music that Ali is miming to, and just when Tess starts bringing down the curtain she sings acapella to high appraise. Tess didn't realise how well Ali could sing, and she instantly becomes the star of the new show they will create, and slowly the club gains many more high rolling customers. Despite offering money to buy Burlesque, she starts going out with Marcus, but her true feelings are of course going towards Jack, they have a slightly heated relationship, but they end up in bed together. His fiancée Natalie (Dianna Agron) turns up and catches them, and while parted from him Ali goes to the apartment of Marcus, where she sees a miniature model of a high rise set on what is the location of the Burlesque. Knowing they only have a day and a few hours to save the club, Ali and Tess come up with a way to stop anyone buying the club and them losing it, by telling the owner of large apartment buildings that he will lose his view if he doesn't help fund the club, so he does and the money goes to Vince to buy him out, and Ali and Jack kiss and make up before a final performance. Also starring Julianne Hough as Georgia and Alan Cumming as Alexis. Cher hasn't had a good role since Tea with Mussolini, look at Stuck on You, so a good return, and Aguilera with her brilliant voice and dancing talent makes a fantastic debut, and the supporting members of cast, especially Tucci are good too. A critic described this as Showgirls, without the constant removal of clothes of course, but this is much better than that, with great songs, including the title song from Aguilera, performed on The X Factor, and power ballad "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me", a good musical drama. It is nominated the Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Original Song for "Bound to You" and Best Original Song for "You Haven't Seen The Last of Me". Worth watching!