NINE - The Movie Musical - Review Thread — Page 7

That's what I thought, as well. The film only stops being interminable when they start singing. When they're not singing? it's astonishingly boring.

You have 7 great actors who have no character, no guidance, no vision. Only Kate Hudson stands out - and that's just because she, now more than ever, channels Goldie.

NINE the Musical isn't a movie. At least, not in Rob Marshall's hands.

Brick - thanks. What you said is basically what the film showed us. I don't consider that a plot, but that's beside the point.

The original film, 8 1/2 didn't need a plot. If anyone came out of that movie wanting more of anything, then I am sorry for them.

81/2 was a moment in time in the life of Federico Fellini. The moment when he's about to make a biographical film but runs into a writer's block. We learn about him and the women in his life through a series of flashbacks and fantasies. To me that isn't a plot, but each to his own.

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This movie is gonna bomb.

And if the songs are in his head, then what doesn't he know? Songs are usually the expression of the characters, and you would hope for dramatic tension and discovery Guido wouldn't know everything inside the mind of these women. Or, is this what he thinks they're thinking? In which case, these actresses certainly don't have characters, only blank screens upon which Guido can project what he thinks they're feeling?

What?

I guess you could say its just like Roxie, where she sees everything as a musical number. But why does he? Roxie was a Jazz Baby who wanted to be in Vaudeville. He doesn't even direct musicals.

I'm just gonna have to finally see it...

I saw the movie today. I LOVED it. I thought the singing, dancing, and cinematography were brilliant. Fergie's "Be Italian" was astounding as were Kate Hudson's "Cinema Italiano" and Nicole Kidman's "Unusual Ways." That being said, was it the most amazing movie musical I have ever seen? No. However, I thought it was very entertaining and featured a lot of excellent talent.

is a bit early, I think Box Office Mojo should have those figures around noon EST.

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Yah, it is expected to pull 9M over the weekend.

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Like most members on this board, I have been following NINE since it was first announced, through the uproars over the score cuts, and through the slew of bad reviews. Needless to say I went into the movie with low expectations. What I saw was a movie which has its biggest faults in the screenplay, not the actors or Marshall's recycled concept for the musical numbers.

The problems in the screenplay are found less in this lengthier book scenes, but in the scenes which preface the musical numbers. Some of the numbers have great lead-ins (Guido's Song, My Husband Makes Movies and A Call From the Vatican come to mind) but others are just plain absurd. (Follies Bergere, Cinema Italiano and especially Unusual Way)

Marshall decision to have most, of the numbers go back and forth between reality and the soundstage reality can work if the transition is made smoothly between dialogue, as it is during Guido's Song by transitioning between the reporters and Guido singing. But the way he chopped up Unusual Way was just plain absurd. Not only was there no romantic tension-type build up to the start, which I know puzzled a few audience members after asking, they decided it would be a smart idea to have it clear by the LAST verse that she has feelings for him, or really after the song. This makes this moment (and Kidman's only true one) a wasted opportunity.

I'm sure you get what I'm saying. I just feel like the movie could have been much better had the screenplay been better. Many of the characters were just on the cusp of having a great arc, but they don't make it there due to their either, cut material, or poor dialogue when they are on film.

Now to my thoughts on the cast:

Daniel Day-Lewis: I had my reservations about him, but he really was quite good. He's in every single scene and is fully capable of carrying the film, though he is somewhat bland at times. It's a good performance, but not one people will talk about in years to come, as with some of this previous roles.

Marion Cotillard: THE reason to see this film. The raw emotion that this woman has is insane. There is really not any way for me to put it, but if you see the movie you'll understand. During My Husband Makes Movies, you could see the passion she was putting into live, which was great. If anyone from this cast gets an oscar nomination, it should be her. Hopefully the Academy corrects the Weinstein's mistake and puts her in Supporting, where she could actually get a nomination and possibly win.

Penelope Cruz: The second reason to see this film. She is actually in the film far more than I had expected her to be, which was great. A Call from the Vatican was jut oozing with sexiness, as it should. But what she really needed was 'Simple'; if she had has the two contrasting numbers, as Cotillard had, she would've been right up there with her. This is not taking away from her work in the film, which is I believe her best work. She will most likely end up being the only cast member nominated, and if she hadn't just won for Vicki Christina, i'd say she has a pretty good shot.

Judi Dench- Oh god is her number painful on the Soundtrack, but damn does she know how to sell a number. I like the change from Producer to Costume Designer, it gives her a more intimate relationship with Guido, which she handles perfectly. I wish we had seen more of her in her number, every time we got a close up, it panned away.

Nicole Kidman- Her big moment suffers from very poor writing, but she looks beautiful in this movie, the best she's looked in years. She gives a solid performance, and is really needed in this film. She IS Claudia. Her rendition of Unusual Way is obviously different, but she sells it the best she can.

Kate Hudson- I don't think I need to point out how unneeded her character is, but she sings one of the best numbers in the film, and very well. She is the best dancer of the female characters and provides one of the best vocals as well. Does a great job with the randomness she is presented with. Oh, and she is her mother.

Sophia Loren- She is greatly needed in this film. She provides an almost royal image of italian cinema, and her song is has one of the best lead-ins and placements in the entire film. She also has some great moments with the young boy.

Fergie- Best vocal of film, but I think we all knew that. I hope she gets some positive things from this film, because she put so much into that small role. When you get the feeling that someone has become their character in a four minute song, and no other dialogue, you know they are great.

Endnote: If only every number had been like the Overture and Finale.

That is all!

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Updated On: 12/26/09 at 02:02 AM

Marion will not win the Oscar, especially in supporting where she will face Mo'Nique. She just won two years ago so it's a little soon to go re-rewarding her. She should be in supporting based on the fact that she is a supporting character (all the women support Guido) but she doesn't have a chance of winning no matter what category she appears in. Regardless, she is the best (perhaps only good) part of Marshall's extremely misguided vision for this story. It's not my favorite musical by a longshot but the problem with the film was that it played out like a series of vignettes - Guido with Stephanie, Guido with Carla, etc. - instead of like one flowing story. These great women had no interaction with one another (except Judi Dench and Marion Cotillard) and no real background given about them. The biggest WTF was Nicole Kidman, coming in and delivering "Unusual Way" - the most recognizable number in the score - all chopped up every second by dialogue. I was given no information about Claudia at all, I had no idea about her relationship with Guido, no idea about her feelings, it made no sense. I also thought Kate Hudson was terrible but I guess I stand alone on that. They didn't create a character for her, they created a song for her and a horrible one at that. All she did was sing, say three lines, and exit. It was completely tangential to everything else going on.

I didn't like the re-tread of the "Chicago" style either. Now I think it's borderline offensive that Marshall thinks the musical numbers have to be imaginary for his movie to be realistic. We're audience members going to see a musical. That suspension of disbelief is inherent. Definitely not good by my standards and now I think there's a very real possibility it won't get in for Best Picture even with ten slots. The critical response has not been positive.

I've never seen a stage show of Nine, but have loved the cast recording have been some of my favorite, ever. The music is incredible.

That being said, I don't really know what the plot was in the stage show. After seeing the film last night I'm assuming (well, hoping) that the plot was much different than in the film...... Could someone fill me in on these differences?

As for my opinion of the film, I agree with a lot that has been said on here. It was a mess. I brought a group of my friends with me (some who showed up 20 minutes into the film) who left the theater asking "What happened in that movie?" The plot didn't allow for any of the many stories to be very developed, or have an ending. I was left wondering whatever happened to Carla, and I'm not even entirely sure what Guido's relationship was with Claudia... I only can make assumptions based on what I know from the stage show.

At any rate, I'd love to hear what all the changes were if someone wants to take the time to fill me in.

I left feeling quite disappointed, honestly. Rob Marshall made a stunning movie visually, but left a good chunk of the story on the cutting room floor. The performances were interesting. Like has been mentioned on here, Coutillard's performance was spectacular. I feel she definitely deserves an Oscar nom, clearly as supporting. The rest of the cast was hit-and-miss for me. DDL did a better job than I was expecting. However, it wasn't a homerun for me. Cruz was very good, although I think some of the praise is a little over-the-top so far. She was steamy, but not spectacular.

The biggest problem was that I was watching and just not caring. My one critique of Chicago when it came out was that it felt, at times, like it was connected music videos rather than a musical story. This one most definitely felt like that, even more so.

I liked it MUCH better than I thought I would. I think I had heard and read too many unfavorable opinions and reviews. So I was prepared for a mess. The film does have some problems, but the overall impact of this "midlife crisis - the musical" was very effective. I was moved and touched by Guido's situation. And I was hugely impressed with Daniel Day-Lewis! The movie wanders around episodically, not unlike many of Fellini's best films (Nights of Cabiria, La Strada, Ammacord, and 8 1/2). That didn't bother me one bit.

Biggest complaint: the overall tone of the non-singing scenes is dark and somber and the pacing is slower, but the musical numbers (for the most part) are energetic, sexy, and flashy. Marshall tied them together beautifully cinematically, but it is jarring going back and forth between the two "tones" and paces. Still, one of the better creative movie experiences I've had in a long time. I can't wait to see it again.

THE GOOD: The performances were all strong. I liked all the ladies in the musical numbers and non-musical scenes. Excellent cast with an enormous amount of talent for one film. I thought the cinematography, editing, costumes, and art direction were all first-rate. The orchestrations and sound were great, too.

A FEW PROBLEMS: While I thought the performances were all strong, I hated what they did to Luisa's character. Marion Cotillard's acting was terrific, yes, but her character was stupid, naive, and spineless. To me this was the worst change from the stage show. Also moving her number "My Husband Makes Movies" to such a later position in the story makes the lyrics come off as really idiotic. She is stating the obvious, something we've been watching for the past 45 minutes on screen (except for the bridge "Long ago ..." part, which I thought was beautiful). Yeah, lady, we KNOW your husband makes movies. Duh. In the stage show, this number comes very early on in the story. Luisa is being interviewed by the press, and she sings it in defense of her husband's lifestyle and questionable scruples. Such a shame to knock the wind out of a beautiful song. As a stand-alone number, it's still great in this movie. But as it is positioned in the story, it's kinda lame (except for her flash-back in the middle). I also thought that "Take It All" was a poor substitute for "Be On Your Own." Not only is it overwrought with martyrdom and sappy pathos, it makes for one too many bustier bump-and-grind songs. Again, NO fault in Cotillard's performance. She is a brilliant actress and performer, and she delivered everything that was asked of her with great success. I just hated what they had done to her character in this film.

Best scene in the film: Day-Lewis and Dench, walking by the ocean toward the end of the film just before the wonderful finale.

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Updated On: 12/26/09 at 06:26 PM