'Come what may', "Moulin Rouge" gives new life to the musical genre

Rating: 10/10 (6 June 2001)

Baz Luhrmann ("Strictly Ballroom", "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet") now directs his third film... another "upper class" flick with posh sets, flashy costumes and a "to die for" Nicole Kidman with a cherry pie mouth and a sumptuous red gown to match. Ewan McGregor is her leading man, Christian, a penniless poet/writer with enough thespian abilities to match his talents given to the pen. She is Satine, a French courtesan and the star of the flamboyant, garish underworld club known as the Moulin Rouge. She immediately becomes his muse, they fall in love and he writes the club's next production called "Spectacular, Spectacular". The only thing that stands in their way is the Duke of Worcester who takes over the production and instructs Zidler, the emcee, that Satine may be the star of the show but she must also belong exclusively to him as well. This sets the turning point in the story and it becomes a whirlwind of spinning colors and so much dizzy editing that one can barely keep up. Ewan McGregor (you may not automatically recognize him, given that he does give the impression of looking somewhat like Ray Liota in some lights and a bit like a young Richard Burton in others) surprises all with his natural gift of song and Nicole Kidman does the same, though her voice is somewhat thin. Many of the songs are cloned from popular tunes of the seventies, eighties and nineties (i.e. "Your Song", "Up Where We Belong", "I Will Always Love You", "Roxanne", etc., plus "The Sound of Music" and "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend"). A standout, however, is the theme song "Come What May"-- a slightly corny, but endearing love song that Kidman and McGregor perform throughout the film, most notably at the climax of "Spectacular, Spectacular". For romantics its a perfect date flick, for musical-lovers its a happy-sad romp, and for ones who like McGregor or Kidman its worth as many looks as you can afford. It calls to mind a long-dead genre but it might just revolutionize it and give it a whole new form. Unlike the failed, but still well-made EVITA, MOULIN ROUGE! doesn't drag (though some might find the first twenty-five to thirty minutes a bit avant-garde) and you leave the theater wanting to go out and buy the soundtrack. Go see it.