BURLESQUE

Guest Review: Written by my wife.

I asked my husband if i could write a review for Burlesque because I loved it, and he hated it. He said no. So i've ignored him and written it anyway :)

As is so often the case in Hollywood these days, Popstars want a piece of every pie and cinema is at the top of the list. Christina Aguilera makes her cinematic debut in “Burlesque”, and while i’m not sure if the role was written for her, it’s hard to imagine any other ‘Actress’ with the pipes to pull it off.

Beginning in the small American town of Iowa, we meet Christina’s character “Ali” in a diner where she is a waitress. Desperate to get out of the dead beat town and move to the big city, Ali walks out on her job and buys a one way ticket to LA. Sound familiar? Of course it does, probably because we’ve all seen this movie before. Coyote Ugly anyone?

Ali is looking for work and stumbles across a Burlesque Lounge to which she is immediately endeared. She meets bartender “Jack” (Cam Gigandet) who directs her to club owner “Tess” (Cher) in an effort to get a job. Ali wants up on that stage!

This is the crux of the story and really all you need to know before seeing it. Burlesque is so much fun, it makes my heart sing. The colours, the music, the dancing, the atmosphere – it all makes me want to be a Burlesque dancer when I grow up.

Aguilera’s acting is fine, it’s not great, but it’s not terrible either. Her stage presence however, is amazing. I found her mesmerising and loved every single minute that she was on stage. I’ve heard the movie being described as a 2 hour X-Tina film clip, and that maybe so, but if you get caught up in the story, as I did, it’s not an issue.

A massive highlight for me was the always amazing Stanley Tucci. He plays a gay costume designer/right hand man for Tess, and his on-screen relationship with Cher was so fun to watch. They really looked like they were best friends – who knows, maybe they are.

Cam Gigandet is gorgeous. Eric Dane is charming. Kristen Bell is unremarkable, however I think that’s her role and not her fault. Peter Gallagher got all us old “OC” fans excited, and Cher was...well, Cher. Her voice is unmistakable and she definitely has a screen presence, however her relationship with Tucci was her highlight for me.

There are 2 scenes in the film that just don’t work. Both of them being impromptu performances by both Aguilera and Cher. They are totally unnecessary and have obviously been done just because they are who they are. My mum told me that she read somewhere Cher had threatened to pull out of the movie if they didn’t keep her song in the final cut. Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know, but the scene definitely felt wrong.

Overall, Burlesque was so much fun. I saw it in the cinema 3 times (once with a girlfriend, by myself and then my mum!) and loved every minute of it. Don’t take it to seriously or expect any Oscar performances and you’ll have a good time.

If you love Glee, you’ll love Burlesque.

4 Stars.