A waste of an evening

Rating: 1/10 (3 June 2001)

I was so incredibly disappointed. This was truly a waste of both my time and money, and an insult to the glorious movie musicals of the past. Not one original song--instead a long strain of every recycled old pop song you never want to hear again. And the vocalists certainly did not help the matter. Ewan McGregor, usually an excellent actor, suddenly loses all acting skills as soon as he opens his mouth to sing. (As to his vocal abilities, he certainly leaves much to be desired.) Kidman, though making a slightly better showing, was uninteresting and lacking in true vocal training, proving that it takes more than "star power" to have a vocal prowess that can carry a musical. Definitely not Kidman's best work. The story itself has potential, and the cinematography is unique and artistic...but the movie goes downhill from there. This is a devastating mess of a movie. If you're going to make a musical, for goodness sakes, PLEASE actually write an original musical score, and cast REAL SINGERS, not just "big names." Such a shame--done right, this movie could have been fantastic.