phenomenal movie; 10 out of 10

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2002)

When I first watched Moulin Rouge on DVD, I wanted to kick myself. No, not because I spent money on a bad movie. In fact, the opposite of that. I wished I had believed the reviews and gone to see it in the theater. Hopefully one day they will rerelease it, for this is the kind of movie that would most likely be phenomenal on the big screen. Anyway, Moulin Rouge is breathtaking and ground breaking at the same time. It's not your traditional musical; often you can't even tell when the singing stops and the talking begins. There are many references to songs from the 20th century, which I enjoyed, in a comical way, hearing in this sense. The music and dance direction is wonderful. Each number is better than the last. And the movie doesn't stop there. In fact, after viewing the whole movie, this is not the major part I remember. The story, the script, the lyrics... they're all so beautiful. "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return". "This movie is about freedom, truth, beauty, and above all things, love." While these might seem cliche and corny, the way these ideas are presented are so that the viewer actually believes them. Last but not least, the characters of the film are great. I especially enjoyed Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge who defines the word thrifty. At some points it may seem like he is the antagonist, or one of them, but at most times he is on the side of good, of love. There's so much more about Moulin Rouge that's wonderful, but it would take the length of the script to write it all, if not more. Every line is wonderful, and to compound on that the acting, singing, dancing, editing, costumes... EVERYTHING is wonderful. So please, if you have not seen this movie, see it.
And remember:
The greatest thing You'll ever learn Is just to love And be loved In return