Roug(h)e it out

Moulin Rouge Pros : Technically great and great acting by a great cast Cons: well it grates on your nerves after the first half.. predictable to a certain extent.... Bottom Line : Check it out for the heck of it but unless you dont mind watching something different and being bombarded with colours, costumes and operatic fantasy..... Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot. Full Review Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot. This movie takes you to the heights of what your senses can take. It is an altogether a different experience. For me it was like riding a roller coaster.. with ups and downs and very straight rides and then again riding high. "Moulin Rouge", directed by Baz Luhrmann is a movie which is stupendous as well as audacious. Stupendous because of the way the story has been handled and audacious because you just sit there and cannot believe that someone has made a movie like this and got away with the critics calling it a masterpiece. Well personally I think there is no two way about how you feel when you watch this movie. You will either hate it or you will love it. This movie is like no other. Its very unique and one of its kind and you all know that when something new and different is introduced, it results in mixed reactions from the public and its mostly negative at least in India. This movie cannot be called a musical though it does have a heavy dose of music. The whole story unfolds through the music and yes the story is simple yet the way the way it has been played and molded with each character is very powerful. It has weak plots here and there but I think you can tolerate that. The story is set in Paris in the year 1899. Christian (Evan McGregor) is a penniless writer who comes to the town of Monmarte, Paris where Moulin Rouge, the famous or infamous nightclub resides. The nightclub is owned by Zidler (Jim Broadbent) who is incorrigible. He meets some friends who are nonconformists with a bohemian attitude. This group of friends is led by a dwarf Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who convinces Christian to be the writer in the group. They arrange for an encounter with Satine (Nicole Kidman) who is a famous courtesan. She knows not what love is and is allowed not to love but she is a great actress and she is also well known for her charms and beauty. Christian and his group of friends want to make Satine the female lead of their production called "Spectacular Spectacular". Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke (Richard Roxburg) and falls in love with him but when the Duke comes to know about this he gets possessive and well tries every trick in the book to make Satine his exclusive property. The climax is dramatic like the whole movie and its a good finish to a simple story. Right from the beginning of the movie your senses are attacked by a frenzy of colours and constant movement of people of different shapes and sizes in different costumes in vivid colour. There is a lot of humor in the course of the story but the humor sometimes covers up a serious situation. The whole make up of the movie is brash and outrageous... it seemed as if the director was trying to magnify each and every emotion with loud costumes (I mean the color)... Then there is the music. Well the music is a mixture of all the songs right from Dolly Parton's ''I Will Always Love You,'' to The Beatles' ''All You Need is Love,'' to David Bowie's ''Heroes,'' to Madonna's ''Like a Virgin,'' to Sting's ''Roxanne,'' to Nirvana's ''Smells Like Teen Spirit.'' and then some more. All the songs are mixed and matched to form a narrative which holds the story together. So the music itself tells you the story and if you like music of the 60s, 70s and the 80s you will find it pretty entertaining. And by the way, the duets have been sung by Nicole and Evan themselves and they have done a pretty good job !! Its worth applauding .... Well if you ask me I liked the first half but the second half was not so tolerable. Granted everything was great but I was feeling a sense of déjà vu ... it was like watching an Indian movie. The songs started to grate on my nerves after sometime and well it was with some effort that I finished the movie. :):)... And the funny thing about this movie is that it has got great Indian touch with a recent Indian film song thrown in for good measure. A major section of the story deals with something about India and like Indian movies, it has got some dream sequences too. The dream sequences are pretty well choreographed. You never know when reality sets in and when the illusion starts. One thing I have noticed about the movie is that the camera continuously keeps moving and well you have the feeling that you got to watch carefully or you will miss something. Technically the movie is just great but when it comes to entertainment which the general public is looking for, the reaction might be mixed. All in all this movie is a kaleidoscope of colours, passion, energy, drama and romance. I felt drained and exhausted by the time I was out of the movie and well it was a good ride but I donot know whether it will be good enough for others.. So be careful and maybe think before you want to see this movie. From the reaction of the audience it was not very motivating ... I recommend this movie but not that strongly and I suggest that you think before you watch this movie... Recommended: Yes Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older @ Pallavi, 2000.