Breathtaking. 10 of 10.

Rating: 10/10 (5 July 2002)

There are movies that are so good, they leave you speechless. With his unique perception of film making, Baz Luhrman makes you laugh and cry at almost the same time, and both will be genuine. This Spectacular, Spectacular movie is unlike anything I have ever experienced in a theater. It is an overwhelming, frantic, loud, deep and touching celebration of the Bohemian ideals: Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and, of course, most of all, Love. The approach to the story is distinctly Luhrman, who absolutely forbids us to forget that this is a movie (as in "not real"), but who, at the same time, makes it impossible for us not to feel for his characters. This is accomplished on one hand because he tells us a story that, for all its sparkling surface, its garish colours and its hectic movement, is still a real story, with people in it that are so well drawn that they come alive. On the other hand, of course, the merit goes to the brilliant actors, one and all, who give breath and heart to their characters. Ewan MacGregor and, above all, Nicole Kidman, the Sparkling Diamond, draw us in and make us love them and love and suffer with them, to the very end. In 2001, a good year for movies in general, this one is the best and most daring of all.