The best film I've seen all year!

Rating: 9/10 (2 June 2001)

En route to the opening night of Moulin Rouge, I got depressed over the (lack of) quality of the film's I had seen thus far in 2001. But after the two-hour showing of Baz Luhrmann's remake of the musical, I had new hope for the future of cinema. It was hands-down the best picture I had seen in years.
I know not everyone will agree with my assessment. If you didn't like Luhrmann's last flick, William Shakespeare's Rome + Juliet, you won't care for this one either. The plot it highly predictable, especially since it's presented in flashback form and the ending is revealed in the opening scene. But that's what makes it enjoyable, as you can just sit back and enjoy the technicolor fantasy. And Luhrmann doesn't hold anything back there, using both black and white and "brown-toned" film stock to contrast his brilliant colors, particularly of the color red. If the costuming and color scheme aren't enough to bedazzle you, however, the music will. Kidman has a surprisingly good voice, and McGregor's is amazing. But it's the songs themselves that will really get to you. A short list of the songs includes Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit," The Police's "Roxanne," Elton John's "Your Song," and a rousing rendition of Madonna's "Like a Virgin"--sung by the Moulin Rouge's impressario, Jim Broadbent, no less. In one scene McGregor and Kidman cite the lyrics to a dozen love songs.
This movie is the product of an MTV culture, and those from the older generations won't be the ones flocking to the theaters. If you liked the style of Romeo + Juliet or the wittiness of Shakespeare in Love and you're up for a different kind of film, this one's for you.