Modern moviegoers are a tough lot to impress. Gone are the days in which an audience would sit quietly and wait 55 minutes before Ridley Scott's Alien or Steven Spielberg's Jaws would slither across the screen. You need look no further than the most popular movies of the past few years to realize that what ticket-buyers want is flash, smash and pizazz...and they want it before the opening credits are even finished. As a film-addicted society, we collectively have no attention span. (What else can you say when we're getting cinematic revisionist history lessons from the bubble-gum director of Armageddon?)

So how to reinvent the long-dormant (yet still beloved) movie musical and somehow keep modern audiences awake was the task set before director Baz Luhrman (Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom). Surely this pic was a tough sell to the studios, and while Moulin Rouge is far from a flawless film, it may be remembered as a truly revolutionary movie.

That Luhrman was able to shoehorn the world's oldest romance movie clichés and still have the movie succeed so wildly is a testament to his skills as a filmmaker. And while I'm the first guy to knock a movie for having too much glitz and not enough narrative meat, in the case of Moulin Rouge the pictures (and the music of course) do tell most of the story.

1899, Paris: The lovers are the glamorous cabaret courtesan named Satine and a penniless young poet called Christian. (The subtlety of these monikers is about as deep as this movie gets.) Satine is the crown jewel of the infamous dance hall/brothel known as the Moulin Rouge and Christian is new to Paris and searching for all the things young poets yearn for: truth, beauty, love and alcohol. The owner of the nightclub has arranged some much needed financial backing from a despicable duke, and Satine is required to do her (ahem) part to push the deal through.

If that sounds like barely enough plot to fill an MTV video with, well that's OK because Moulin Rouge is perhaps the best thing that MTV ever inspired. The numerous musical numbers are magnificently extravagant and awesome to behold. Visually, Moulin Rouge is literally like nothing you've ever seen before. As far as pure cinematic thrills, I'd choose the final twenty minutes of this movie over your typical summertime buffet of Mummies, Godzillas and Men in Black.

The artfully clever way Luhrman intertwines modern songs into such an antiquated tale was met with consistent peals of laughter at the screening I attended. Laughter in a good way. How else would you respond when a 19th century couple break into Elton John's Your Song or even The Sound of Music? Sure, you could slap your head and insist that such anachronisms shatter the illusion of the time frame, but I'd argue that you're picking fly poop out of black pepper.

Quite simply, this movie is a mammoth ball of glitz, glamour and truly invigorating sequences. Both Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor give wonderful performances - as actors AND as singers! If you stop to imagine how horribly wrong this movie could have gone (think Xanadu) you realize how difficult these roles were. McGregor in particular floored me as he belted out tune after tune. And if any red-blooded male out there isn't in love with Ms. Kidman after seeing this movie, you might want to invest in some Viagra. (Ok, low blow. But Kidman is a revelation in this movie; a red-lipped, fair-skinned, fire-haired beauty who provides the final conclusive evidence that the most dazzling "special effects" in the world are indeed man-made.)

Offering superb support are three great character actors: John Leguizamo as the maniacal (and diminutive) Tolouse-Loutrec, Jim Broadbent as Zidler (the demanding yet sympathetic cabaret owner) and Richard Roxborough, who steals several scenes as the slimy, sneering Duke.

If a movie can be a milestone without being a true classic, then Moulin Rouge could be the one. It's a movie that infuses today's need for quick cuts and clever gimmicks with a decidedly sweet and old-fashioned sensibility. Several of the more elaborate sequences left me staring wide-eyed at the screen, much like when I was a young film freak and movies still seemed larger than life. That's high praise indeed.

I'd be cheating if I didn't mention the handful of people I saw walking out midway through Moulin Rouge. Most of these people were older couples who I can only assume were expecting a more "traditional" musical. But to me, walkouts can be seen as a positive thing. Surely if this movie irked someone enough to walk out, there must be something to look at. And to say that Moulin Rouge offers "something to look at" is like saying that people "sorta liked" The Wizard of Oz.

So while I offer a clear disclaimer that Moulin Rouge is certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, I'd follow that up by telling you this:

Just go see it. You'll loathe it viciously or completely adore it. But you certainly won't be bored.


Recommended:
Yes

Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age