When I started this, I had planned for it to be something like a book review blog. I may still be doing that, but I am thinking that I may want to do some movie reviews, too. I like movies, I like them a lot. So I figured, "Yeah, I'll do that!".
At least for this post.
As you can tell by the title of my post, at least the part in the parentheticals, I am reviewing the movie "Burlesque". Yeah, yanno the one with Cher and Christina Aguilera? That one. The one where Cam Gigandet bares all? Mmmmhm. That same movie.
Anywho to the review. Before I saw the movie, I read reviews from E! Online and from EW.com. Both were kind of negative. When I went into the movie, I was thinking, "Well, the reviewers didn't like it.... It will be a crappy movie." And then I said to myself: "Wait! These same reviewers didn't like Inception, a movie that was PHENOMENAL. I should give it a fair chance."
I came out inspired and unable to wipe a silly grin off my face.
Now is the movie realistic? Not particularly. It takes a hell of a lot of work to make it ANYWHERE in showbiz. I know, I act. I want to act professionally. Do I personally know it's hard? Hell yes.
Is it POSSIBLE to make it? Yeah. Certainly. People do it.
Burlesque starts out in Iowa where you find a waitress Ali (Aguilera) working. Her boss refuses to pay her and her co-worker, so she takes the money she is owed and leaves the restaurant with her co-worker's blessing. She sings an opening number on a makeshift stage and BAM! She's in LA and in a hotel room.
Ali looks for a job and has no success (reality!), eventually winding up at the Burlesque Club with the AMAZING Alan Cumming, Cher, and an assortment of characters. This club is reminiscent of Moulin Rouge... The overall wackiness was not as great, but it was still there....
And the main plot ensues, Ali gets a job there, one of the lip-synching dancers of the club (played by Kristen Bell) pulls the vocal track because Ali went on for her (Tess (Cher) told her to go home as *cough* she was totally DRUNK). BADA BING! Ali pulls out a wicked set of pipes and blasts the number, getting herself the lead spot in the show.
What I would have liked to see more of in this movie would have been numbers sung by other people besides Aguilera and Cher. If you put Alan Cumming in the cast, come onnnnn GIVE HIM A NUMBERRR! He is one of the BEST Broadway actors out there! Honestly. If they had made it a little more like a musical, it would have been recieved better by critics. Just sayin'.
Despite that, I still enjoyed this movie...
RATING: B+
Not the greatest movie in the world, but still enjoyable. Go see it in the theatre! :D
Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Alan Cumming, Kristen Bell, and Eric Dane
