Weird, but lots of fun

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2004)

When my girlfriend bought this on DVD I must admit to being less than impressed. There followed many weeks of "Shall we watch this tonight" to which I replied "I'm not really in the mood for it." To be honest, I was deathly afraid of being subjected to another musical after being scarred by Chicago. However, when the evening finally came that we sat down to watch Moulin Rouge, I was very pleasantly surprised.
It has a style that is unique. It's weird and wacky and doesn't even pretend to contain anything like an original song. In fact the exact opposite is true as it it shamelessly borrows any song remotely relevant to the storyline. In fact, trying to spot all the song references let alone the songs themselves becomes quite a game.
It's difficult to sum up Moulin Rouge. It's just fun, fast paced and never lets go of your interest for a moment. Initially, however, be prepared for a certain amount of confusion as your head (if it's anything like mine and was expecting a dreary Chicago-style dirge-fest) struggles to get a feel for the style and pace of the film. After that it's a thoroughly enjoyable ride right to the end. The simple plot has no surprises and you know what'll happen pretty much right from the start, but the story isn't what makes this movie entertaining. It's the music - a fact lost on the Chicago writers.
Maybe I just like weird musicals but this one rates up there just behind Rocky Horror and Shop of Horrors on my list. Well worth a watch.