Some Musicals work on the screen and some don't

Rating: 4/10 (23 October 2008)

Before anyone condemns me for not knowing my stuff, I've been watching a lot of musicals-come-films for many years. Whilst some work, some do not. I am not about open more cans of worms, but in my opinion, Hairspray and Grease work as a film. Chicago and Evita should have stayed on the stage.
As fantastic a work this is, it should also be in the latter group.
Firstly, to start off, the music is fantastic. As a child of the 70s and 80s, I can directly relate to the music. The musical itself is one of the best around (get yourself a ticket if you can!). This will sell like hotcakes around the world.
This film will make you laugh. Wildly. Unfortunately, often not for the best reasons. Discussing this with someone else at work, they agreed adding "I enjoyed the film immensely because it was so poor" Unfortunately, this is where the praise ends.
The main problems with this film are as follows: 1. The casting is horrendous. Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan clearly cannot sing. Imagine how popular Seven Brides would have been without an excellent Howard Keel? Or the Sound of Music if Christopher Plummer couldn't sing? Julie Walters (usually fab) is not right for her part. Meryl Streep just about holds her part. Amanda Seyfried is ace.
2. The filming and production is poor. Just poor. Amanda's nipple pops out in the scene where she is being prepared for the wedding. IMO, that's just bad.
3. Some of the storyline has been over-cheesed. Not necessary in a film. This film is just cheesy.
I'd love to see a remake of this done, only with slightly lesser-known actors and more money spent on Production. I mean, we have all these well-known pop stars (who can actually sing) working hard in the West End and Broadway. They're big enough names. Why not use them?