MOVIE REVIEW … BURLESQUE

 

The track record of singers acting in films isn’t very good.  Whilst some have been top of the pops with music, many have scrapped the bottom of the barrel with some appalling thespian efforts.  One of the few who has made a success of both has been Cher, who has added the fabled moniker of ‘Oscar winner’ to her resume.  Burlesque may not win her another gold statue, although it wins in the production stakes with the musical numbers making of the most of the legendary performer’s many talents.

Departing the sleepy town in which she lives, Ali (Christina Aguilera) arrives in Los Angeles.  Dreaming of becoming a dancer, she accepts a waitressing job at The Burlesque Lounge in the hope of achieving her goal.  Run by Tess (Cher) and her assistant Sean (Stanley Tucci), it is on hard times and needs someone to re-energise it.  When they discover Ali’s dancing and vocal abilities, they think they’ve found the answer to the club’s salvation.  Becoming adept at the art of Burlesque, Ali navigates the demands of the job through a mine-field of personal hardship and glittering delights.

It’s just as well Burlesque allows plenty of opportunity for Aguilera and Cher to sing as it doesn’t have much else going for it.  The stage sequences are dazzling – full of energy and toe-tapping tunes that should raise a smile.  Sadly there aren’t enough of them and their infrequency prevents the potential for continual camp fun.  Unwisely director Steven Antin tries to focus on its clichéd story – a big mistake given how dreadfully written it is with dialogue that must have been embarrassed for the leads to mutter.

Unlike Cabaret or Mamma Mia!, Burlesque’s songs fail to fully fit its narrative.  They feel like random moments inserted in order to break up its turgid yarn.  This poor flow extends to the acting with Aguilera’s performance amateurish at best with only Tucci having the most fun with the silly script.  Thankfully the staging and music is up to par otherwise it would have been a dead loss with the cinematography’s soft focus lens showing Cher and Aguilera in a flattering light even if their ill-fitting wigs do not.

Burlesque isn’t flash by any means, although if one is in the mood for some lyrical frolics then this may do the trick.  Picture it as a Walt Disney version of Showgirls and you get the idea with its’ hoped for fun moments few and far between.

Movie Review Rating  4 / 10

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

Burlesque released in Australia on Thursday 13 January 2011.

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