Rating: 
Summary: This musical is only for those who crave silly love songs.
Review: Well, today is Valentine's Day and love is in the air. Now is the time for me to write my long-awaited review for 2001's "Moulin Rouge." Set in the village of Monmarte in 1899, this film brings Baz Luhrmann's visual talents to the forefront, setting the stage for the return of musical cinema. Actor Ewan McGregor portrays a poor English writer named Christian, whose life is changed forever upon entering the Moulin Rouge. Underneath the flashing lights of the red windmill, the wild carnival barker Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent) proudly presents to the rich an endless night of forbidden pleasures: sex, music, and alcohol. Thanks to the drunken antics of Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo) and a Narcoleptic Argentinian (Jacek Kaman), Christian falls madly in love with the show's star, Satine (Nicole Kidman). However, their blossoming relationship slowly turns sour due to two terrible facts. First, Satine isn't allowed to fall in love; as a courtesean, she is paid only to make men believe what the want to believe. Second, she is required to sleep with the violent, possessive Duke (Richard Roxburgh), who offers her money and a chance to become a legitimate actress. Soon enough, as she and Christian try desperately to hide the love they share, the vulnerable Satine could no longer hide behind the mask of the smouldering temptress. Then, when the Duke demands the deeds to the Moulin Rouge, she has to either forget Christian forever or risk living off the streets.
Audiences will be astounded by Baz Luhumann's use of dazzling cinematography, breathtaking sets, stunning costumes, and an eclectic score (which roughly incorporates elements of pop, swing, jazz, and opera). The can-can sequence alone was enough to draw me in; the rapid, kinetic editing of this dance number captures the whirlwind excitement of the club in action. Also, the two halves of the story bear the masks of comedy and tragedy, blending together farce, tongue-in-cheek sexual humor, heartwrenching suspense, and the gripping fear of abuse. From beginning to end, every emotion is pushed to the extreme.
However, "Moulin Rouge" is quite problematic in some areas. What I found to be most unfortunate about this movie is how the tale is far too predictable. Viewers will know ahead of time that Satine, the "Sparkling Diamond," will die of tuberculosis. After the tragic ending is revealed at the start of Christian's narration, the woman repeatedly wrestles with the disease, coughing up blood and fainting to the floor. The plotline itself centers around a disastrous love triangle between the beautiful Satine, the kind Christian, and the insanely jealous Duke. Such a concept has been rehashed too many times in television and literature. To make the sitution even more obvious, the real-life events of the three characters reflect Christian's "Spectacular Spectacular," an opulent play about a courtesean having to choose between a traveling sitar player and the cruel Maharajah. Another flaw in "Moulin Rouge" concerns how the songs were structured. Most of the contemporary pop lyrics were messily glued together. As a result, while some musical moments successfully resurrect elements of a Broadway show, other scenes aren't any better than overblown music videos. Finally, despite the fact that bittersweet love is the movie's main theme, it inflates itself to the point of slushiness. Still, there are some incredible moments one can look forward to; Ewan McGregor's performance of Elton John's "Your Song" brought me to tears. Jacek Kaman's tango in Sting's "Roxanne" escalated the tension between Satine and the Duke. Jim Broadbent's soliloquy of Queen's "The Show Must Go On" once again presented the theatre in all its splendor. And, of course, how can I forget Nicole Kidman's daring and carefree modernization of Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend?"
If you are a big fan of grand Broadway musicals, I recommend you try "Moulin Rouge" at least once. It whet the audience's appetite for better musical cinema, allowing "Chicago" to make a bang at the box office. Does anybody care for a glass of absinthe?
Rating: 
Summary: Hey Hey we're the Monkees
Review: If you saw the movie and liked it then sure...buy the DVD. But if you haven't seen the movie I'll just say this: the director obviously watched The Monkees back in the 70's because that's about the extent of his creative vision. We stopped watching after 20 minutes because it was so trite and boring.
Rating: 
Summary: A By-The-Numbers Love Story...Sort Of
Review: I was initially skeptical about seeing this movie. It looked like just another love story...and it was. The story had the herione in distress (played by Nicole Kidman), the meagerly-existing hero (played by Ewan McGregor), the father-figure who tries to control the heroine from behind the scenes (played by Jim Broadbent) and, of course, the manipulative bad guy (played brilliantly by Richard Roxburgh). But the above quartet was not alone. This movie features the quirkiest "back-up" cast of characters I think I've ever seen in a movie, headed up by John Leguizamo's nutty gnome Toulouse. Beyond the great cast of characters was a spectacular, if usually gaudy, set...as well as a rather...inventive...list of musical numbers. Moulin Rouge takes place at the turn of the 20th century. The musical numbers are anachronistic. That is, the majority, if not all, of them are from late 20th century performers like Elton John and Madonna. Initially, I didn't care for the fusing of late 20th century music with early 20th century motif...but it grew on me and by the second half of the movie I was thoroughly enjoy it. The only problem I had with the movie was that it seemed to entirely focus on "Inside the Moulin Rouge". I realize that this was the performers' life, but surely they went out to buy groceries or something, right? Overall, despite some initial hesitiation, Moulin Rouge won me over...the movie is definitely worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: How Wonderful Life Is, Now Moulin Rouge Is In the World
Review: "Moulin Rouge" is one of the most creative musicals created in cinema history. It deservingly garnered eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, winning two. Baz Luhrmann created his best work in his directing career. The plot is only one of many movie details that makes it so spectacular. Its remakes of classic songs from the mid to late 1900's have a new creative musical flavor that pleases audiences, though the film takes place in 1899-1900. Its clever writing in a style of a stage play makes it more enjoyable. Besides them, its theme of forbidden love found in Moulin Rouge, a French night club, contains many unique twists and turns. As Sadine's fiance begins suspecting about her relationship with Christian, the threat of disaster arises, keeping audiences interested. Sadine's yearning for a happier life away from Paris and with Christian adds interesting dramatic flavors to the plot. However, there's a catch. Sadine has tuberculosis (there was no cure in 1899). She must act upon her dreams soon; otherwise, she'll die before experiencing happiness.Nicole Kidman's breakthrough role as a serious actress started in her role as Sadine. She deservingly earned a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her great efforts. No other could have performed Sadine better. Kidman's singing voice is incredible, considering before accepting the role, she had no singing ability. Ewan McGregor also amazes audiences with his role as Christian. His charm and his romantic side are very convincing, which adds his own unique interesting flavor to the film. Kidman And McGregor's chemistry as performers are perfect. All other actors, major or minor, also performed beautifully: Jim Broadbent, Kylie Minogue, and many more. The elaborate Oscar winning costume design and the art direction are very marvelous. Such hard work paid off, offering audiences a more spectacular reaction. Therefore, it's more than just computer effects that made the art more realistic-looking. The camera effects and the editing offer their own perspectives as they further shine the colors, attracting bigger audiences. "Moulin Rouge" is a great movie for those looking for something highly unique. This is great for fans of musicals. However, this film may create musical fans. This will surely entertain many audiences and keep them dancing and singing for a long time. The bonus features offer an interesting look at the making and the history of this film, including interviews, behind-the-scenes, the studio recordings, and more. Fans of "Moulin Rouge" are also recommended movies "Chicago" and "Evita". Such combination will add more spark to this unforgettable experience. Those looking to hear more of Nicole Kidman's newfound music should buy Robbie William's album "Swing When You're Winning" (an import and not to be confused with his US release "Sing ...", notice the missing "w"). It includes a duet he recorded with Kidman, "Something Stupid", which reached #1 on the UK Billboard Top 100 Singles charts in 2001.
Rating:
Summary: Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
Review: This is one of the best musicals ever created it has brilliant music great special effects and some of the best actors ever born it is just Spectacular, Spectacular. The story is that a young writer named Cristian (Ewan McGregor) goes to France to become a playwrite and meets Satine (Nicole Kidman) a courtesan and they romance but she "belongs" to the duke and he says that if she does not stay with him he will destroy the Moulin Rouge which employs so many. However they do not want to end this true love romance but can it remain a secret...forever. I would recommend this to all people over the age of thirteen because although it has an excellent story there is some sexual dialouge and content so it is not suitable for all ages. I hope that this review has helped you in making a decision about the movie Moulin Rouge.
Rating:
Summary: LOVE IT
Review: This was such a nice movie. It had music, romance and action. I think that all should watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Never thought I would love this movie
Review: I avoided this movie like the plague for years- saw it on Tv the other night- and am completely obcessed with it! I have the video to Come What may on my work computer- and listen to it endlessly. Who knew that Nicole and Ewan could sing?!
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Love Story
Review: I saw Moulin Rouge for the first time on TV just the other night. I caught parts of it while I was flipping around the channels. But I kept coming back to it because I kept wanting to see Ewan sing! He is fantastic. I went to the store the NEXT DAY and bought both the DVD and the CD. I can't get the tunes out of my head! People look at me like I'm nuts, but I have never felt like this in years. I love musicals and I felt like they were really on their way out, but this makes me feel like there is hope. I can't remember they last time I cried at a movie and I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome love story
Review: This movie was incredible. Of course, the reviews of our family members is tuly mixed, so while I really loved it, my husband's parents and sister hated it. Well, each to their own. I had no idea what I was in for and the beginning of the movie has a lot of quick change filmed angles and is very fast paced, I found that I enjoyed it more and more as I watched. In my opinion the most amazing part of this movie is the creative use of present day pop songs in a musical. I had to start hysterically laughing when I recognized the characters singing "Like a Virgin". It totally fit into the movie and was perfect. In fact, all of the actors sang beautifully which was a terrific surprise. This is a modern day love story which is beautifully written, delivered, filmed and sung. In fact, my husband and I have really fallen in love with several songs in the movie and danced the first dance at our wedding to a version of "Come What May" on the Moulin Rouge II Soundtrack. Many of our guests kept asking what song that was and it really created a beautiful moment for us as husband and wife. I guarantee that if you get this movie, you will either love it or hate it. I hope you love it as much as I did and can appreciate Baz's genius in this masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: I had no desire to watch this movie as I do not enjoy musicals. I usually get embarrassed for the characters who break into song, but with this movie I was amazed. The acting of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor (what a hottie!) was superb. I was amazed a what good voices they had. I was mesmerized from the very beginning. The songs are just beautiful. Listening to Ewan McGregor's woefull voice tell the tale of his beloved Satine was heartbreaking. I was sucked into the vortex of Moulin Rouge. I cannot understand how anyone who watched this movie did not fall in love with it and the characters. Granted the main character is a courtesan, but who cares? She falls in love with the penniless writer and true love prevails, she understands what 'true love'is. From the very beginning we know that their love was doomed, but we still rooted for them, for love is 'like oxygen' and we wanted them to be happy. All in all, this was an amazing movie. I would suggest that you watch it before believing the hype. Amazing movie, I loved it!!
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