Extremely addictive eye-candy with ADHD-induced editing techniques.

Rating: Null/10 (2 January 2002)

"Moulin Rouge" could be a perfect example of what a typical filmmaker might do with the enormous budget, sets, costumes, and big-name stars, but it truly transcends any handicaps which lurk in the film's typical romantic storyline.
Nicole Kidman (in a role she was born to play) portrays Satine, the most expensive courtesan in the Bohemian burlesque house known as the Moulin Rouge (1890 Paris). Ewan MacGregor plays Cristian, the naive young poet who falls trulymadlydeeply in love with Satine after seeing her perform "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
The best thing about this film, with its hyperkenetic pace and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder style of editing (courtesy of director Baz Luhrman [William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"]), is its sheer production magnitude, and some truly astounding musical performances, for which MacGregor and Kidman are to be commended. Although, after the film holds its pace well, in the middle 40 minutes or so, the pace begins to drag, but what keeps the blah story afloat is the wonderful music. Director Luhrman has taken contemporary pop songs (with contemporary beats) and featured them in this epic tale of love and Parisian culture.
However, while viewing, the viewer certainly gets the sense that if it weren't for the fact that the film comes in a pretty package, packed with some walloping music, it would be just another typical love story. This factor prevents it from receiving a superior rating, but it's a great movie for lovers of cabaret.
Rating: *** out of ****