Pleases the pop-corn public

Rating: 2/10 (20 August 2005)

Put a couple of "beautiful people" together in a romantic fantasy musical rather like in a modernised version of anything by Rogers and Hammerstein, lots of songs all strung along any-old-how, with a story-line which doesn't matter, and box-office success is assured and everyone is HAPPY! Great show-biz, but dismal film-making; about as original as a cold pizza on a park bench in the bleak mid winter, and throwing in a handful of snow - whether artificial or not - makes no difference. Supposedly Paris in the early 1900s but laden with songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, with anything - but ANYTHING - from Dolly Parton to Sting, passing through Buffy Sainte-Marie and Elton John and a bit of Lennon/McCartney - and throwing in for good measure the only pieces to have existed then from Offenbach (which must have had Les Folies Bergères splitting their sides and gurgling with mirth backstage), this film lurches along in a frivolous capriccio accompanied by lurid overblown photography.
Spectacular show, but pretty lousy film-making. The only good thing going for it was that it did not have Richard Gere (who probably can't sing) and Jennifer López (who can), or, even worse pairing up somebody like the unbearable Keanu Reeves with Shannon Elisabeth.
I give "Moulin Rouge" just under three out of ten as some of the songs were "nice" and at times were cleverly strung together. Which is why I cannot understand why the US vote is lower than the rest of the world.......... I was watching a superb piece by Iosseliani the other night......... shucks, forget about it.........