Awsome Musical, not for all tastes

Rating: 9/10 (22 January 2002)

Alright, Stop right now and sit down. This one isn't for everyone. I brought this one home as a rental, and the little lady almost immediately settled into the `you'll owe me for this' mode. I absolutely loved this one. And from what I can see on the net, sounds like our reaction(s) were fairly typical. This is a love it or hate it flick.
Do me a favor. Think back to `Romeo and Juliet' w/ Leonardo and Claire Daines. Remember the drunken party at the Capulets? Remember the scene w/ Juliet's mother before the party, full of accelerated frame rates and wacky music? If those were your favorite scenes from that movie, you'll love this one. Other wise, it probably won't work for you. Come to think of it, the overall style structure of Romeo is almost copied to the beat for this one. Surprise, Surprise; they are both done by the same director; Baz Luhrmann.

The opening 10 minutes are the litmus test of the whole flick. The grand sweep through the Paris set, up to Christian's apartment w' the Narcoleptic Argentinean and Dwarf Bohemian, then steam rolling into the Moulin Rouge w/ the loudest musical intro I can remember; this all sets the scene for event that follows. But of course, I would commit a sin if I didn't mention the opening conductor over the 20th Century Logo.
This is a movie that takes all the typical (predictable) conventions of movie mechanics and throws them out the window. The editing can be frantic, often cutting to 3 or 4 different cameras in less that 2 seconds. The acting is over the top, especially with the owner of the club. And the music becomes an extra character. It is shocking what songs they try (and mostly accomplish) to work into the dialogue of the musical. `Material Girl' works into Santine's opening number, `Your Song' becomes the main love song, and even `Roxanne' gets reinvented into a drunken tango while being cut between three different sequences.
Quickly about the movie mechanics. The story is surprisingly simple, a love story of star-crossed lovers in an age where love should be simpler, but as always this story has been told before. I did like the old play-in-a-play routine that went right over the head of the Duke until it was thrust in his face during the final rehearsal. The acting is above average; witness the comedy of errors between Christian and Santine during their initial meeting. The Visuals, style and presentation are top notch.
Yet again I've found a `frameable' movie, where every frame is a work of art. Every sequence and camera movement is a choreographed ballet. One of my favorite sequences in the whole movie takes place in the `Elephant' from the time the Duke walks in on Christian and Santine, to the improvised rehearsal and final group presentation. The energy in this scene alone puts whole other movies to shame.
Unconsciously, I've written most of this review so far without actually mentioning the names of Ewan or Nicole. They just totally sold me on becoming the characters. Nicole has finally crawled out from under the shadow of tom (small t) and established herself as a legitimate leading lady. And John Leguizamo once again amazes me with his ability to play supporting roles. He has enough personality to grab your attention, and enough sense to step aside and not showboat.
Any negatives? Just a few minor ones. After the first half hour, there is a noticable downshift in the energy as the plot kicks in and things get more serious. In the long run, that is probably the wise move, as the initial celebration can not realistically be maintained. But it is missed. There is also one point where the songs cross the line between excess style and offensiveness, and that is where we have a fat red-haired man with a mock nun's outfit singing `like a virgin'. just a bit outside of where I needed to go.
Oh, and by the way, anyone who wants to see this movie in anything other than widescreen is out of their freaking mind. The opening curtain alone would be destroyed. And there are numerous shots where the cinematographer obviously decided to ignore the Pan n Scan idea and shoot dance numbers that took up the far left and far right at the same time. The DVD is gorgeous. I wish I had seen this in the theater, with a full sound system and 80 ft screen. IMAX anyone?
Just treat it as a musical and this is hard to put down. 9/10