Burlesque
Everything in the musical numbers and no guts. This is the best way to summarize “Burlesque” which sabotages the entrance to the cinema Christina Aguilera teamed with Cher for grandstanding. The bet, half raised, though ultimately proves forgettable.
Hollywood loves musicals. This type of feature films has been very successful in the last century (mainly during the years 1930 to 1960), returning periodically to fashion thereafter, to the delight of his admirers. Since “Chicago” won several Academy Awards, the style has remained in the air, growing more in the wake of television (with “Glee,” for example). After the debacle of the underrated “Nine” last year, now a new generation will try to improve the batting average.
Its selling point is addressed first and foremost to a younger crowd. Christina Aguilera is a huge music star and the script is built around it. It embodies a leading lady who dreams of fame and celebrity in a big city like Los Angeles. Anything is possible when experienced Tess (Cher) takes her under her wing to restore the prestige of her club. Except that when money is running out, she will find by any means possible and imaginable.
With its glitz and its casualness, “Burlesque” like a distant cousin of “Dreamgirls”. The musical numbers guide the story and that is what is most interesting. In the manner of a “Moulin Rouge” (but much less inventive and memorable) melodies are composed mostly of a medley of songs already existing, which are choreographed with their pleasant bunch, who know more often than not. This is good news in itself: a musical that does not dull or who does not want his ears.
But was it enough to bring it to the screen? Nothing is less certain. As soon as the actresses stop dancing and singing, the characters have nothing to defend in this scenario that bogged down painfully. The heroine must choose between luxury and financial compliance with its humble beginnings in a romance that takes too much room, while her female Pygmalion learn to listen to others seeking to save the furniture. Already the traditional happy ending promised to be a long time ago, the road leading towards it singularly lack of breath, and moments of magic. At least in “Cabaret” there was a particular context, a sense of urgency implied that brought about the thickness.
Especially since the interpretation is flawed. Christina Aguilera is not Norah Jones (“My Blueberry Night”) and even less Bjork (“Dancer in the Dark”). She may be talented with a microphone, but her limited play – and virtually all those people her age – prevent the structure from being anything but a succession of pictures decorated empty dialogues. This is already better side “adults”. Stanley Tucci having so much fun as a faithful assistant and Peter Gallagher takes a perverse pleasure in singer Billy Bob Thornton. Cher still could not win enough, which is probably the fault of her ungrateful character and superficial.
By dint of playing glamorous showing its distribution in its best, director Steve Antin sometimes forget to offer something other than a staging lazy (especially when no wiggles), which is ultimately the image of its premise. How fortunate that there are dance numbers and singing to swallow the pill. That is not careful enough to stay until the end.
