Her Movie Reviews

I think this might be the musical that breaks my winning streak. I had yet to find a musical I didn’t love. I didn’t think it was possible for me to not love any film that had elaborate musical dance numbers. Until now…

The movie is based on the Broadway production of the same title, and I would put good money on the fact that the play is better than the movie (I haven’t seen it on the stage, so I’m just guessing).  It’s about this guy and he’s a director and the influence women (seven of them, to be precise) have in his life, and essentially, on the films he makes. Sounds really intriguing, right? Well, it’s not. The guy, Guido (played by Daniel Day Lewis) is a cad. There isn’t anything likeable about him, he’s just a big jerk. And not once throughout the entire film does he redeem himself. He mistreats all of these women, and then I think the film expects you to feel sympathy for him when they abandon him.

The women, on the other hand, are amazing. I have zero complaints about the female roles, as they are all so incredibly talented. Obviously with the likes of Sophia Loren (his mother), Judi Dench (his costumer designer/ confidante), Nicole Kidman (his muse), Penelope Cruz (his mistress), Kate Hudson (a journalist) and Marion Cotillard (his wife), you expect nothing less than stellar performances, but the one who truly stunned me was Fergie (a hooker). Going into this, I was slightly disappointed in her casting, but that girl can flat out sing and she’s got intense screen presence. None of the songs were particularly notable, but the ladies all did a great job with what they were given.  So while the women are the ones who make this movie worth watching, Guido really brings it down. I mean no disrespect to Daniel Day Lewis, I think he’s a truly wonderful actor, but his character is just not worth a musical.

I will warn you, this film made me want to go to Italy in the worst way possible. It is the films other star. And the musical numbers are beautifully done. While the “reality” portions of the film take place in and around Rome, all of the musical numbers, which take place in his head, are on a big sound stage. It really is very cleverly done. Again, having never seen it on stage, I don’t know how it’s done in that production, but it translates well on screen.

All in all, if you want to see it, I recommend waiting for the DVD. It’s a fun flick, but if you’re a devoted thespian and have seen Nine on stage, I’m going to go out on a limb and say this one’s not for you.

Rating: