Moulin Rouge

Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Writing credits : Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
Rated: PG-13

BUY IT!

Moulin Rouge is a remarkable sexy artsy and happily flamboyant movie. It was like sneaking into a naughty version of The Looking Glass. A Willy Wonka-like festival of delight for adults. Busby Berkley would be proud of the grandiose choreography. Which is near brilliance. The soundtrack ingenious. Like director, Baz Luhrmann's 1996 Romeo+Juliet, we are transported to a world familiar but dreamily askewed. And, also as with Romeo+Juliet, Bazzie uses words we all recognize as his dialog. In R+J it was Shakespeare's famous play- verbatim- here it is one hit song after another. Again, a brilliant concept that actually worked!

Story goes...The Moulin Rouge is a tawdry place. Scandalous and raunchy. Moulin has its star, as all places of this style do. Here it is sultry song mistress Satine (Nicole -gorgeous- Kidman). But, Saltine, er, Satine, wants to can the can-can and be a serious actress. A true thespian. Her boss, Zigler (Jim Broadbent), has arranged it. She shall meet with, and sleep with, a wealthy duke who will finance a show called Spectacular, Spectacular. In a divine intervention she instead mistakes a poor lowly writer and poet named Christian (Ewan "oio, give us a pint mate" McGregor) for the duke... As fast as Tom Greene's career is careening to the abyss the two fall madly in love.

They dance around the real duke who is being bamboozled by Satine and her troupes in the name of art. They rehearse their play in the name of love. But ultimately they will have to face some sad truths in the name of plot.

The greatest thing, one can ever learn...is to love and be loved in return...

What's this Ewan McGregor all about then? Why isn't he in more?Yum-o-rama. He's chock full of manly man bits. Hmm. I noticed he has the same exact mole as Russell Crowe...Okay, either it's just a weird coincidence OR these two are from the planet Manular and they've come to infiltrate our mediocre man supply. Their planet has designed the perfect mate.I suppose they figure it's the only way to fool women (— the true leaders of our planet after all). They probably figure stun us with blinding manly beauty so we'll never see the invation en route...or we wont care! And, Crowe and Ewan both sport those funny accents too! So obvious.

John Leguizamo is great as a gnome-like Toulouse Lautrec. Nicole is awe-inspiring and simply stunning. Jim Broadbent is completely mesmerizing as Moulin Rouge MC and owner Zigler. Ewan is a romantic, humble lead who will have your heart along with Satine in his first note.

This is one hell of an original film folks. A classic has been made. It is a musical extraordinaire; let me tell you, warn you, this right up front. I bet you didn't know Ewan and Ms. Kidman could sing? Me neither. But they belt out tunes better than some known musical folks out there.

Get out and see this as soon as you can. It is breath taking. Truly original. The whole cast, and set, has an eerie other worldly feel and the soundtrack is so great it's already in the cd player!

And Nicole, who needs that short creepy no-talent guy anyway? Girl you got it going on! Find a nice religiously balanced fellow next time huh?

Snack recommendation: Strawberries and green fairy gin.