Moulin Rouge
About 15 minutes into the postmodern romance/musical Moulin Rouge, I was ready to strangle Director Baz Luhrmann. The whirlwind cinematography, rapid-fire editing and over-the-top acting were really, really getting on my nerves. Then, all of a sudden, everything changed. I don't know if I just suddenly "got it" or if Luhrmann toned things down just enough to get on the right side of the fine line he was straddling, but for the rest of the way Moulin Rouge proved to be a exhilirating ride for me.
As the movie begins, it's 1900, and an impoverished writer named Christian (Ewan McGregor) falls in with a group of Bohemians, led by Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), that frequent an establishment called the Moulin Rouge. Christian quickly finds himself falling under the spell of the Moulin Rouge, a place where sex, drugs and sheer hedonism run wild. In particular, it's the beautiful Satine (Nicole Kidman), star of the Moulin Rouge, that commands his attention.
Satine eventually falls for Christian, but outside forces threaten to wreck their relationship. The biggest is a duke (an effectively despicable Richard Roxburgh) that holds the financial key to the Moulin Rouge's future, but wants sexual favors from Satine in return for his backing. Can Satine keep the duke's patronage without "delivering the goods"? Will he discover the affair between her and Christian and kill him? Will Satine leave Christian for the duke? Keep watching.
The story of star-crossed lovers, if a bit familiar, has all the makings of a classic romance, though the plot occasionally seems a litle too contived. Still, with the ingenious (or annoying, depending on your point of view) manner that the screenwriters (Luhrmann and Craig Pearce) work modern-day pop songs into this period piece - not to mention the gutsy tragic ending - complaints seem downright churlish.
More importantly, it's the direction that makes this film. Luhrmann (with the help of Cinematographer Donald McAlpine) throws every trick in the book at you, and the result is a visually mesmerizing film. The dance numbers pop, the songs rock, and the sheer energy and intensity of the film is bound to move you. True, not everything in Moulin Rouge works (though most does), but even when it falls short, the film's sheer audacity will win you over.
Kidman and McGregor have great chemistry, although contrary to many observers, I felt Kidman gave a somewhat uneven performance (I preferred her work in The Others). McGregor is the real star here. He's proven in the past that he can play hardcore, whether diving into a rancid toilet in Trainspotting or flashing some full frontal nudity in The Pillow Book. Here, he strips away his edgier side and portrays a starstruck, earnest lover belting out Elton John lyrics, but amazingly never comes across as annoying or cheesy. Jim Broadbent also shines as Harold Zidler, the owner of the Moulin Rouge.
In a year of tame cinema, Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is a much-needed kick in the ass. Against the odds, he's taken Moulin Rouge and elevated it to a new romance classic.
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With hyper-fast editing and swirling camerawork, Moulin Rouge will give you the spins -- even if you haven't been throwing down.
You've got the sex-drugs-and-dancing decadence of the Moulin Rouge, plus a classic love story involving Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Add it up and it equals one of the best date flicks of 2001.
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