Burlesque: Review By Vamp

Well, I remember hearing the announcements for this movie about a year and a half ago. I was INSTANTLY excited for it. First of all, I have always loved Cher. Ever since I was a kid, listening to Mom's CD's. She was my first concert experience, she's my favorite singer/song writer, she's my favorite actress, she's my favorite celebrity. I just love her. Anything with her is instantly going to be viewed by me. Secondly, this is Christina Aguilera's first acting gig, and I was interested to see how she did. So I've been looking forward to the movie with great enthusiasm. I was NOT disappointed in the least. Far from it. I, personally, loved every single second of it. I never thought I'd see a movie I liked better than Sweeney Todd, but I'm pretty sure this is that movie. The characters are fun, the music is fantastic, it's funny, sad, charming, romantic, moving. It's everything that makes a movie, for me, fun. And I had a great time in the theater watching it. Definitely a movie that I'll be buying, and one that you definitely shouldn't miss out on. If you ask me, it was worth every cent of the ticket price.

A lot of people aren't really into musicals, which is understandable. If you're one of those people, then you probably won't like this movie. No biggie. But if you do like musicals, or don't care either way, then like I said watch it. It's a really fun and energetic movie, with a good message: Chase your dreams and don't ever let them go. Never lose sight of what you want in life, pretty much, but also keep hold of those people who will always mean something to you. Overall, the movie was very well done. What I really liked was the music, of course. Christina Aguilera is known for her incredibly powerful singing voice. If you ask me, it's one of the most powerful voices of this day and age. Then, of course, there's Cher who dominates any singing she ever does, and also can act VERY well (most notably, winning an Oscar for her performance in Moonstruck). So the two together singing out there tunes (although it's rather disappointing that Cher only gets two numbers) makes the movie even more fun. The songs themselves are very fun, too, making you want to dance or cry, depending on the mood that they're putting across. The two ballads of the movie, You Haven't Seen the Last of Me and Bound to You, are incredibly powerful and moving numbers that are sure to get on your good side. Music department gets an A+ from me.

The director of Burlesque is Steven Antin. It says Antin is most notable for acting, so I think this is the first major motion picture he's done. If that's the case, then he really knocks it out of the ballpark, making a stunning, sparkly entry into the directing world. He does very well behind the camera, and the vision you get is sort of a 50's style, Moulin Rouge! feeling, which really lends well to the story. Most of it takes place in the night club, so the scenes are rather dark, but it's not scary, just serious. Sort of a forbidden vibe, and I really liked that feeling while I watched the movie. Antin also wrote the script and such for the movie. He's written for some other things, none that I've ever heard of, but he does a very good job with Burlesque. I'll admit that in certain points the dialogue is a little cheesy, like between Cam Gigandet and Christina Aguilera's characters, but for the most part the writing was well done. The characters, for instance really developped well, and you felt for each one as they go through their own struggles. The behind-the-scenes crew really handle themselves well for this movie, and make it a highly enjoyable movie.

The storyline of the movie follows a girl, Ali (Christina Aguilera), from Iowa who realizes that her place is not her small hometown, but something bigger. She's got a killer singing voice, and she knows it. So taking the small amount of money that she has to her name, she buys a one-way bus ticket to Los Angeles to pursue her dream. Ali doesn't have much luck when she gets there, until one night when she discovers a mysterious night club, simply named "Burlesque." Once inside, she discovers a world that blows her mind. As she walks in, the night's show begins as the owner of the night club, Tess (Cher), takes the stage, singing a number with dancers. Ali is captivated and decides that her place is here at Burlesque. With the help of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a waiter at the club, she attempts to talk Tess and her stage manager, Sean (Stanley Tucci). Both of them tell her to audition at the next audition point, but Ali doesn't give up. She gets herself a job as a waitress at the club, constantly trying to get to the stage. Tess is having her own problems, she's in debt, and her business partner, her ex-husband Vince (Peter Gallagher), is constantly hounding her to sell the club to an interested buyer named Marcus (Eric Dane). She doesn't give up hope, though, stubborn as she is. Soon Ali makes her way to the stage, showing off her voice and bringing life back to Burlesque. She makes friends with some of the dancers, like Georgia (Julianne Hough), and enemies with others, like Nikki (Kristen Bell). The story follows Ali's quest to make a name for herself in Los Angeles, and Tess's quest to keep her dream going without problems.

The actors are all fantastic, each one bringing their own charisma to the stage. Stand-out performances are Cher, Christina, and Kristen. Cher's character, Tess, I feel in some ways mirror's Cher's own personality. She doesn't really let stuff get to her, or so she pretends, but sometimes things really get her down, but as her song says: She's down now, but she'll be standing tall again. This being Christina's first acting role, she does a fantastic job. She brings charisma and charm to her character, who's a down-to-earth farm girl from Iowa, who just wants to make a name for herself without getting into too much trouble. Which really brings in Kristen Bell's character nicely. Nikki is a snobby, in it for herself, drunken druggie who hates Ali from the instant she sees her, and when Ali takes center stage she goes into overdrive, trying her best to ruin Ali, as well as everyone else's time. These three, I feel, really brought out the movie. Then of course, there's Stanley Tucci's character, a very likable man who's there to make sure everyone is feeling good. Everyone else pulls their weight and makes the movie a great time. Acting-wise, the movie moves along nicely.

So all in all, if you're looking for a good time at the movies, go and see Burlesque. If you're into musicals and good times, then I'm almost positive you won't be disappointed with this movie. Everyone does a fantastic job, and really makes this movie a success. The songs are fantastic, the characters are fun, and the show is great fun. Had doubts? Dispell them. It may not be an Oscar worthy movie, but it's damn good. Like I said, it's probably my new favorite movie of all time now. I'm rambling, so I'll leave it at this: If you see it in the theaters, it is money well spent. So see Burlesque because you'll have a fun time. :)