Fantastic music video

Rating: 7/10 (26 November 2003)

Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet uses a pop exterior to bring Shakespeare's rich dialogue to moviegoers who never would have sought it out. Characters are successfully translated, so that the audience can identify with them. The colorful presentation makes it fun to watch. Shakespeare's story makes this film easily rewatchable, especially in the modern context.
Luhrman's Moulin Rogue! has flashy presentation AND pop music. But the story feels thin and stretched. It must compete for time with the (amazingly arranged) music, eye candy, and comical scenes. The underlying story is romance vs. pragmatism, and the challenge of whether or not love can conquer all did have me thinking about the ending two days later (a sign of a good story).
I was blown away by the rooftop love-song duet. Having rented it the first time, I bought the DVD several months later. And found the film as a whole not very rewatchable. The music is still quite good though; I wish that there were an easier way to just play the songs, other than skipping through the chapters.
The leads both did a good job getting us to identify with their characters, with the few serious scenes they had together. For instance, Nicole does a good job on the rooftop scene with eye contact, to show internal conflict, to help us believe she could still fall in love. They were obviously convincing, or the ending wouldn't have moved me so much.
Expect a music video movie (as in Graffiti Bridge), and you won't be disappointed. You will also be rewarded with a bit more, in the story and setting.