OVer Opulent, Frantic Screen-Filler

Rating: 4/10 (19 December 2005)

"Moulin Rouge" proves the Mullahs of Iran right -- Hollywood is The Great Satan, spreading its decadent ways around the world, infecting British actors to an Australian director and lead actress, and spending money opulently beyond most countries' GDP.
I am second to none in my appreciation of Busby Berkeley musicals, but I never thought them lackluster, or modest and understated. Evidently, Baz Luhrmann does, as his charming opening mis en scene builds up from old black and white movie musicals. His script has the bad guy (the most ineffectual British villain on screen in years) shriek to the Bohemians "I reject your dogma!" and Baz most certainly, most emphatically rejects the Dogma 95 filmmakers of social realism. Baz finds even Ken Russell and Terry Gilliam too tame, though I think at least Russell has also done opera directing as Baz has. The eye-popping MTV Movie Awards production of "Lady Marmalade" was more restrained (and in fact more entertaining and more musical) than how the song is used in the movie. The camera and the editing just never stop; every millimeter of film stock is full and moves.
Ewan MacGregor comes out the best; in a total opposite of his "Trainspotting" druggie, here his wide-eyed innocent is sweet even when singing medleys of romantic clichés. (Too bad effective cynical songs about love weren't countered -- I waited in vain for "What's Love Got to Do With It.")
Poor Nicole Kidman is simply miscast. Much as Marilyn Monroe imitated Carol Channing's performance in "How To Marry a Millionaire," Nicole must imitate not one, not two, but at least three Madonna videos (from "Material Girl" through to the pseudo-Indian influenced "Ray of Light"). Did Madonna turn down the role as she was busy with Baby #2 and marriage? Did Baz not offer it to her or did the movie moguls think she couldn't fill the seats? The role needs very little acting so would have fit the Courtesan to the World quite well. (I found it amusing that the term courtesan is used every five minutes when the movie "Dangerous Beauty" was re-titled from "The Courtesan" because the producers were convinced audiences wouldn't know what the word meant.)
Poor John Leguizamo is as irritating as Jar Jar Binks as a clownish Toulouse Latrec with a lisp; the poor guy has to play a dancing magical sitar. Like "Shrek" and "A Knight's Tale," this is a movie musical with no original music, but highly original use of covers, if most are in pieces and medleys. I particularly liked the version of "Roxanne" as if it were done by Tom Waits in a brothel, while the producers' pitch to the investor paled next to "The Producers." I'm quite sure that the audience was frequently laughing at the film, not with it.
Note to movie musical producers -- watch the Tonys and see that there are plenty of talented people around who really do know how to sing and dance.
(originally written 6/15/2001)