What a romantic dream of a movie

Rating: 9/10 (19 May 2001)

I'm not surprised that so many (not all) men don't appreciate this film. I'm not surprised that they obsess over the fact that they've heard the music before, over camera angles and other minutia. Many men are like that. They can't let go and embrace sentiment. Most are simply not capable. How any ordinary movie goer or critic could see this movie and not be moved by the intensity of Christian and Satin's feelings for one another is beyond my comprehension. When I saw the film, I was flabbergasted at how much attention had been paid to complaining about unimportant trifles. Shocked that so many had proclaimed that Christian and Satin had no chemistry, I nonetheless sat enraptured whenever they were on screen together. That so many could have watched this and felt nothing for the two lovers is a sad sign of just how jaded young people have become in this day and age. It's SAD. It's not surprising, though. Critics panned "It's a Wonderful Life." What do they know?
Ewan McGregor is a romantic the likes of which I haven't seen onscreen in many a year. I thought I was jaded until I saw this film. What a voice on that man!! I was thinking, "Oh my goodness, that's Renton the toilet boy singing like Harry Connick, Jr.!!" The girls beside me were swooning whenever he sang, as was I. What a perfect wide-eyed innocent. That this actor can convincingly portray characters as diverse as Mark Renton and Christian is a testament to his phenomenal talent. There aren't many actors who are his equal, and Nicole's star power should certainly be elevated by her charming performance. What a cutie she is!! One can understand why Christian was so captivated by her.
As for the rest of the movie, what is everyone complaining about? It was a wild, dizzying, gaudy, decadent spectacle of a ride--as Baz intended it to be. This world was intended to be surreal to the extreme. It wasn't meant to accurately reflect 1899 Paris. Of course it wasn't!!! So you get a little dizzy, so what? The ride was wild and the reworked music was a hoot. Let go and *enjoy*. Are you all grumpy old men? It's not often a movie stays with you like this. It's the first truly great film of the year. Bravo Ewan, Nicole, Richard Roxborough and Jim Broadbent. A 9 out of 10. (Okay, that one point I took off is a concession to the fact that even *I* got a little too dizzy in some places. Switch to decaf, Baz. LOL!!) But that's okay.