Burlesque
Burlesque [2010]
Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci
Direction by Steve Antin
Language: English
If you would like to watch something trashy and fun on a Friday night, this movie is worth a watch. Anything more than that and it falls short.
I didn't really have high hopes for Christina Aguilera. We've all heard the story before, singers trying to get into acting. And I would say that 9 times out of 10, it doesn't work out. And whilst Aguilera hardly delivered an Oscar performance, she definitely did outdo Cher and my expectations of her.
Listen, I like Cher just as much as the next person, but this was not her finest moment. Her character was performed in a one-dimensional way when it could have been so much more. Honestly, she should just stick to singing (which, by the way, was great, but I'll get onto that later).
However, there's one thing you can always count on whenever the actors in a movie are singers. The music will be good. And the music is something I can't complain about with this. Whether it's 'Tough Lover', 'Something's Got A Hold On Me' or 'Welcome to Burlesque', this movie delivered with the music. With two big hitters in the music industry, Cher and Aguilera, the songs were all delivered powerfully - ensuring a nice listening experience (the entire soundtrack are on my playlists).
Everything was very visually appealing, that's for sure, and that's the point of burlesque! The costumes and set definitely served their purpose - everything was definitely bright and colourful to watch. Special mention to the choreography as well!
The story was just a little, for lack of a better word, blah. Struggling waitress dreams of Hollywood and overcomes the odds to become successful. Who's heard that movie before? It's a little generic I can't lie. This same plotline was original in 'A Star is Born', and that was released in 1954. What does that tell you?
This movie is alright for a quick weekend watch, when you need a bit of a pick me up. However, if you're going to look critically at this, there's not much more to note than the music (which was superb - you must have a listen).