Rating: 
Summary: The bravest film I've ever seen - beautiful!!!!!
Review: Best Picture - 2001 - Moulin RougeI've seen a lot of reviews of Moulin Rouge over the last 9 months. It's definitely a love or hate film. I'm not a musical lover or much of a romantic as far as films go (I don't cry in movies often). All I know is I was a mess at the end of this film and I thought the story was true, honest and beautiful. Ewan and Nicole BOTH should get Oscars for their performances (Ewan got robbed for not at least getting nominated - the boy can SING and act - the last scene alone is amazing). The story - as simple as it was - was true and honest, which is a lot more than can be said for a lot of films these days. It was beautiful on levels I didn't know film was capable of. People who say they didn't empathize with Satine and Christian didn't "get it". Yes - the plot is predictable - Baz SPELLS OUT what will happen in the first 5 minutes. The beauty of it is that you still care about it by the end. It doesn't matter that you know what will happen. It's the journey that is entertaining and meaningful. The emotional roller coaster - starting so low - shooting high so quickly and slowly falling back to the deepest low is the point of the film in my opinion. On first viewing, I was skeptical for about the first 20 minutes, but I gave in and loved it. As an artist, I feel this film is an accomplishment of amazing proportion. The art direction, cinematography, editing, etc is just astounding. My first thought upon leaving the theater was "It's the bravest film I've ever seen" and I'll stand by that today having seen it about 8 times. For someone to have that vision and realize it so fully must have taken a lot of determination. It seems Baz definitely got his vision on film and hats off to him for it. It's the most beautiful film I've ever seen and redefines the medium of "filmmaking". See it. And give it a chance. Go in with an open mind and heart. It's worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!
Review: I loved this movie! The songs were great - it was a big mish-mosh - an organized mish-mosh, but definitely ingenious. How can you not enjoy them? And how can you not laugh at two men singing "Like a Virgin?" All of the scenes were lush and vivid and saturated with color. Nicole Kidman was outstanding, and Ewan McGregor was awesome as the starry-eyed writer. It was a great movie, a sad movie, but you don't want to miss it!
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: I am not a big fan of musicals but I loved Moulin Rouge. I loved the music. I also thought Nicole Kidman revealed a side to her that we haven't seen before. In fact, I have never been a big fan of hers until now. I highly recommend seeing and judging for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless....Nicole Kidman is phenomenal.
Review: This is one of the two best movies I have ever seen. It's a modern day masterpiece and will be a classic. I am very glad I saw it originally on the big screen. Film students will study this in college courses in the future. Nicole Kidman ranks amoung all the celebrated actresses of yesteryear: Audrey Hepburn, Marliyn Monroe, etc. (It's all Tom's loss. She outshines him as a star a thousand times over.) Ewan McGregor perfectly fills his role as well and has an unbelievable voice. I would love to see this as a broadway play!
In reponse to the bad reviews: 1) These people probably shouldn't watch musicals, 2) are not very cultured, 3) and/or [finicky].
Rating:
Summary: A Sparkling Gem of a Movie!
Review: Moulin Rouge doesn't only revive the movie musical, it reinvents it for the 21st Century. In doing so, it has stirred up quite a bit of controversy and debate, as well it should. Any artistic effort that throws convention out the window does this. Part of the public embraces it as visionary, while the rest dismisses it as a failure and a fraud. Many times the elements that turn some people on are the same ones that turn others off. I tell you this because, while it's one of my favorite films of 2001, I readily admit it isn't for everyone. I saw Moulin Rouge twice in one week at the same theater, which is highly unusual for me. Obviously, as a reviewer, I don't have time to dwell long on any one movie. Both times the same thing happened. Some audience members applauded at several times, but others walked out disgusted. Those who stayed and enjoyed it were many times greater in number than those who left. The plot is slim. It's mainly a device to attach the music to. Christian [Ewan McGregor] is a young British writer who comes to Paris in 1900 to savor the Bohemian lifestyle, which is in full swing. Much of this lifestyle revolves around the Moulin Rouge nightclub, where dancers perform the infamous cancan and where courtesans sell their favors to wealthy gentlemen, young and old. The star of the club is the glamorous Satine [Nicole Kidman], who is also its most sought after courtesan. Satine and Christian are introduced by the artist Toulouse-Latrec [John Lequizamo] and his followers. The couple falls in love, but her lifestyle and his poverty create an insurmountable barrier to true love's fulfillment. The movie has little regard for time and space. The Paris it creates is a fantasy and a dream. The real city was never like this. Director Baz Luhrman, who first came to international attention with the remarkable Australian film, Strictly Ballroom, works with the idea that artistic or hip types a hundred years ago were not so unlike their counterparts of today. His characters don't sing and dance to music from their time, but from ours. In a memorable scene early in the movie, Toulouse-Latrec and his gang are agonizing on the lyrics to a song that's part of a musical they are writing. Christian, who has been commandeered to assist them, suddenly bursts into "The Hill Are Alive" from The Sound of Music. This is not the only time Luhrman uses a song from an older, more traditional musical. The movie is also filled with songs by such late 20th Century music icons as Elton John and David Bowie. It may be the only film taking place at the end of the 19th Century that rocks. The editing is extremely kinetic. Few images last more than a few seconds. This will irritate some viewers because the process may give them a headache and because the lavish production numbers tend to be especially choppy and fast. I found this technique to be exhilarating. It gives the movie a look and feel that underscores the desperation and anxiety simmering underneath the festive air. Its the same emotional contradiction found at today's discos and rave parties. The cast is brilliant. It's spectacular. ... [Nicole Kidman] can be dramatic, funny, beguiling, seductive and vulnerable. She can also sing and dance. Ewan McGregor is equally versatile. They make a dynamic couple on screen. Jim Broadbent gives and Oscar-worthy performance as Harold Zidler, the owner and MC of Moulin Rouge, as does the amazing John Lequizamo as Toulouse-Latrec. I loved this movie, if for no other reason than that it broke the mold. It is bold and adventuresome. Most films follow formulas that seem set in stone, partly because audiences are comforted by them. Occasionally, though, it's good to have one that rattles your soul.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie Ever!!!!!!
Review: I am not a real big fan of Nicole Kidman, but this was her best work. I love the way the movie took modern songs and made them fit into the era of the movie setting. The singing and dancing were awsome!!! I have a lot of favorite movies, but this one takes the cake.
Rating:
Summary: MOULIN ROUGE
Review: I loved this movie, I can't see how anyone could say otherwise. It was very imaginative and it was also incredibly lush the setting was something out of Wonderland! Nicole Kidman was WONDERFUL! The story line was intriguing and I loved how the play clashed with the true movie's storyline! This is a movie everyone should come to see. Nicole Kidman was truly absolutly WONDERFUL!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Not what I had expected- in a good way
Review: When I saw previews for the movie, I said that I would never want to see this movie. My friend had the cd before the movie came out and I loved it. So that led me to see the movie and it was one of the best movies I have ever seen. As soon as the movie was over, I wanted to see it again and could not wait until it came out on video! (of couse that took forever) This is also when I discovered Ewan Mcgregor, who is now my favorite actor, not to mention he's a hottie! (especially in this movie) When my boyfriend saw this for the first time on dvd, he didn't like it. But after watching it more than once, it's his favorite movie also! My advice, watch it more than once to get a feel for it!
Rating: 
Summary: A triumph of Style over Substance--sort of.
Review: Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge is an extravaganza of sight and sound and frenetic action. An effort, or so we are told, to bring the musical, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century, this work relies on sleight of hand, action and technical wizardry to ensnare and captivate the audience. On the whole, it works. Critical supporting elements are in place to a sufficient degree to allow this experiment to succeed. There is a base story, and, if it is not exactly intellectually stimulating, neither is it overly embarrassing (a phenomenon not unknown in the musical format). Moreover, it is emotionally accessible, at least sufficient to the needs. The stars are attractive, compelling and engaged-they have obviously bought into the concept and are quite visibly giving it their all here. And the set and costumes are beguiling. The deficiencies in the film are directorial and post-production related. There is too much outright emotional manipulation related solely to change in action-frenetic action and excessive sensory stimulation cutting abruptly to dark, quiet, bleak desperation. A bit of that is OK-it's a device seriously overused here. There are also editing issues-at times one suspects that film was randomly chopped up by scissors and then randomly spliced back together. To say it's uneven is to understate the situation. Those may seem somewhat cosmetic issues, but in what amounts to a cosmetic exercise, the effects are amplified. On the whole this reminds me of some of Robert Altman's efforts prior to MASH and Nashville. The talent shows through, the concept is valid, the technology works-yet the whole thing has not quite come together into a unified whole. On the bright side, this film has achieved such a level of commercial and critical success it's likely that the time and money is bound to be invested in making the concept and technology achieve what quite clearly would be a wonderful entertainment experience. I look forward to seeing it. In the meantime, Moulin Rouge will certainly whet ones appetite.
Rating:
Summary: I think I'm in love!
Review: This movie is brilliant! Baz Luhrmann has successfully reinvented the movie musical genre, one that has been untouched for quite some time. Everyone in the cast (especially Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor) is wonderful! The huge amount of acclaim and awards that this film has received should speak for itself. Get ready for the most spectacular and elaborate circus of a movie ever filmed!
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