Only exception .. so far

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2011)

Mostly, I don't like musicals. The reasons being, it's not really a movie. However else fantastical the premise gets - I'm usually OK with that. Scifi, art-house, animation (dah!?), fantasy(up to a point), serial killer, comedy, and romantic comedies even.
For me, musicals belongs to the stage. Cause people just don't break out in a song and dance. But this somehow works for me. Mostly because of the set, costume design and the swirling CGI.
It works in that is it acceptable. The 8 is in relation to other movies - musical unbiased removed. Contrivices aside - the ridiculous love story, the insidious plot, the terminal illness...etc.
Why? since all these are NORMAL within melodramas. So the argument is I'd rather watch these factors in a short 2.5hr musical with relatively young starts (Ewan and Nicole) ...with good choreography, lighting and cutting... than in 20 years of still camera shots in 'Days of our Lives'.