Fantastic and Magical

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2001)

For the first fifteen minutes of this movie, I was sure I had made a mistake. I was totally caught off guard, and the quick-cutting style of Luhrman made me dizzy and almost nauseous. But then, something magical happened. Nicole Kidman came on the screen, and the movie suddenly switched gears. It slowed down a bit (just a bit, but enough), and a love story began. Familiar songs, such as "Your Song" filled the theater. And suddenly, without warning, I fell in love with the movie. I couldn't believe the change from my initial reaction to my end reaction. I think some people absolutely hated this movie because they couldn't shake that initial reaction, whereas I sort of fell into the fantasy of the whole experience. Yes, it's silly that they're singing modern songs. Yes, it's silly that, at one point, they appear to float among the clouds while pixie dust sprinkles around them. But I accepted these as images, almost as metaphors, to help explain the excitement and beauty of the love story. To make a long story short, ignore the bad reviews and give the movie a chance--and stick around past the first 15 minutes--and you'll see that it's truly unforgettable.