Movie Review: Burlesque (Starring Cher & Christina Aguilera)Bags BuzzFocus 11/24/10 03:43 PM
On the surface, Burlesque doesn't present anything new to viewers in regards to story. The film is a rags-to-riches tale about a girl (Christina Aguilera) from Iowa who moves to LA to fulfill her dreams of becoming a singer. Along the way she is tempted by riches and of course must deal with conflicting love interests. However, the film is less about delivering a fresh story and more about recreating a genre of theatre entertainment that has long been forgotten, despite the recent pop-culture renaissance. In doing so, Director Steve Antin created the first modestly successful musical film in a while that also has the potential to double as a Broadway Musical. To top it off, it's just great seeing Cher return to film after a seven-year retirement, utilizing her powerful and ever resonant vocal chords. Stanley Tucci (Easy A) also does a terrific job in grounding the film with his dry humor.
Ali (Aguilera) is a small town girl with big city ambitions and an even bigger voice. The film starts with her quitting her job as a waitress to finally make the move out to LA. It isn't long before Ali makes her way to the Sunset strip and the Burlesque theatre catches her eye. Alexis (Alan Cumming) sells her a twenty-dollar ticket that transports her to a world she knows nothing about, and also a world that she can't help but want to be a part of.
In our first moments in the Burlesque theatre, Tess (Cher) makes a stunning appearance on stage, capturing viewers with her voice. Ali immediately falls in love with the theatre and applies for a job as a dancer. Of course, there are none available and no one believes she has the chops to perform. Ali perseveres and does the next best thing – she becomes a waitress at Burlesque. During her time there she befriends Jack (Cam Gidandet) the bartender and makes a bitter enemy in Nikki (Kristen Bell) the featured dancer.
Aside from Ali's inevitable rise from obscurity, the sub-plot revolves around Tess losing her club. She has a looming balloon payment on her mortgage that she can't afford to pay. Her ex-husband (Peter Gallegher) hopes to turn a profit on the club by selling it to Marcus (Eric Dane), a wealthy real-estate developer. Tess eventually discovers Ali can sing and with it believes that she can beat out the bank by raising new interest in the club. However, interests of the heart, family and money come up that may steel Tess's potential cash cow from the club. All the while, Sean (Tucci) serves as Tess's best friend, theatre stage manager and rock that keeps the film humorous and realistic.
For Cher, the role doesn't really flex her Academy Award winning talent. She only has two major solo numbers. The second of which serves as a soliloquy of sorts, expressing the pain of potentially losing the club. The pretense leading into this song is somewhat superficial and fabricated, but the payout is great. Aguilera really shows her range as both an actor and singer in this role. There isn't a moment in the film where you question her talent. It also makes you want to see the pop-star take on a more challenging Broadway role. Tucci really shines as a supporting cast member. As Tess's ex-lover and friend he serves as the surrogate father to the girls in the Burlesque club, while Tess is the girls' adopted mom. It's almost like a theatre for runaways. The theatre itself is a character in the film as it brings to life the sexy and comedic style of Burlesque performances.
The story does get a little monotonous and predictable at times. Going to see Burlesque is more like going to see a show than going to see a plot-driven story. Tess's second solo was the strongest song in regards to storytelling. The film could have benefited from more of these rich and heartfelt storytelling songs or more parody songs with paralleled visuals. However, Burlesque still manages to remain entertaining throughout.
Source: TV.COM
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