NINE - The Movie Musical - Review Thread — Page 8

I just got back from the movie and I thought it was really good. My only previous exposure had been listening to the revival CD, reading the screenplay online, and watching clips online, so I couldn't really compare it to the stage version. I thought the cinematography was the strongest point of the movie with the score second. I thought the black and white was an interesting idea and I was relieved to see it wasn't overused. I loved just watching the opening "la la la" song. Fergie was surprisingly great, and Marion Contillard gave the best performance of the movie. Daniel Day Lewis was just what I expected, but I wanted more. I don't think he was as lively as he could have been. Penelope Cruz wasn't my favorite, but she didn't have much to do, really. Kate Hudson was a great singer, and I think that if her song wasn't needed, then Fergie's song wasn't needed. I didn't get the point of Guarda la Luna, but if they cut those songs, the movie would barely have any music. I thought Nicole Kidman was pretty good, but she didn't have much screen time. I thought Judi Dench was good in her scenes, but I didn't like the tone of her voice in her song. I think this was my second favorite movie released this year (Harry Potter being first... I'm just obsessed), and while I haven't seen many of the type of movies that get Oscar nominated this year, I think this definitely deserves a nomination for Best Picture and for Cinematography if there is an award for that... I don't really watch the Oscars so I don't know. Overall, I was very content with it, but I think something could have given it an extra oomph to make it perfect. Maybe an extra song they cut, or trimming of a scene. I give it three stars.

I just got back from seeing it. The theater I saw it in was less than 50% full although nobody walked out. The audience response was pretty tepid though, with no applause after any of the musical numbers.

I've never seen the stage show, although I do have the original cast recording. I thought the movie was merely okay. It wasn't too good, but it wasn't too bad either.

The overture and the finale were the best parts of the movie by a longshot. The musical numbers were well produced, although I hated how many of them were so chopped up and interrupted by dialogue. But my problem is that the numbers seemed almost extraneous. You could cut some of them (like "Cinema Italiano) and the film would be unaffected. But they all are well staged, and "Be Italian" IMO had the best staging.

The screenplay is problematic. Guido is poorly written, is given no redeeming qualities and after a while you get tired of watching him sulk. He has very little character development and his background is never explained, so you don't ever really get to know the story behind him. In fact, none of the women, except for Cotillard's character are really developed. The movie seemed a bit incoherent and disjointed. I though Kate Hudson's character served virtually no purpose. She pops up midway through the film, sings her song and then disappears until the end.

Cinematography, production design and art direction was excellent. I'm sure it'll earn quite a few tech nods at the Oscars.

Marion Cotillard was outstanding. Loved "My Husband Makes Movies". Daniel Day-Lewis was also good, although I don't think his performance in "Nine" is one that people will be talking about for years to come, like his recent performance in "There Will Be Blood". He does however deserve credit for rising above the flawed screenplay.

The rest of the cast turned out good performances as well.

Cotillard deserves a supporting Oscar nomination. Day-Lewis will probably get one as well. I'd expect that the film will likely get as Best Picture nod as well since there are now ten slots, although I'm not holding my breath for it to win.

Overall I'd give the film 3 stars out of 5.

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Updated On: 12/27/09 at 12:18 AM

I agree with those who are saying we could have seen more of Guido's charm or at least his attempt to charm others. He has next to NO sense of humor about himself in this movie. Most of that evidence in the stage show is in the Grand Canal sequence, and the lead-in patter singing he does with his producer when he's trying to describe a plot to his latest movie. They could have kept bits of both in, which are funny, or written something new for him and his wildly ambitious "Italia" idea. He does have a producer in this film to bounce the improvised ideas off of. Even if it's not Lili (or Lillianne).

I didn't have any trouble with Guido's charisma, though. Just his general demeanor. I can easily see why each of these women is attracted to him. I have seen many beautiful women pursue men a lot less desirable than Guido, simply because the men are famous, rich, talented, or attractive. Guido happens to be all four. Why wouldn't they decide to pursue him?

But we should be charmed by him in order for us (in the audience) to care what happens next. Otherwise, it does make these ladies seem rather superficial and opportunistic in their pursuit. And other than the fact that he is a very famous director who employs many of them, we don't see examples on-screen for a reason to like him.

Guido is portrayed as having such a serious demeanor with very few laughs or light moments along the way. Especially with Carla, which was a missed opportunity. Despite Penelope Cruz's great charm and humor, Guido is fairly joyless during their trysts. We can only assume their relationship was happier at some point in the past. And we can only assume that ALL his relationships were happier in the past.

I was still pulled into Guido's plight, because I feel sorry for people who come to such a crossroad (or a total standstill), whether or not they bring their sense of humor along for the ride. And I thought Daniel's acting was terrific.

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Updated On: 12/27/09 at 01:03 AM

OH, I forgot to mention. About 30 minutes into the movie this group of people walked out. That left about 5 of us in there. lol

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Best: You articulated most of my thoughts about the movie. I loved it, and I am perplexed by the level of trashing it has received both from critics and people I have talked to about the film.

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When audience members (myself included) disengage with a movie, they tend to pick it apart. They aren't forgiving. If Guido had been more likable, self-deprecating, and humorous, I don't believe this film would be taking so many critical bashes.

But "mysterious" Italian charisma, posturing, and chain-smoking aren't compelling enough character traits alone to pull people into a protagonist like Guido.

I keep thinking how Woody Allen made a string of successful films about writer/directors (aka "himself") in midlife turmoil, while struggling with creative hurdles and romantic partners. Humor was the key reason audiences connected with these movies and with him. We could forgive his flaws, his "believability" as a desirable leading man, his poor and often crazy decisions, and the women who clearly loved him regardless, because he made us laugh and pulled us along for the ride.

Those movies were "hits," too, and crossed age and other demographic barriers, won Oscars, and did pretty well at the box office (okay, they cost a fraction of what "NINE" cost, but still they made money ...)

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re: "Midlife Crisis - The Musical"

AwesomeDanny---I had no idea! No, that was just my own summary of NINE.

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For what it's worth, Richard Roeper loved it:
http://www.richardroeper.com/

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I saw it.

Very disappointing. And mostly because there are some very nice moments and some great performances searching for a film.

I have to agree the biggest mistake Marhshall made was keeping his conceptual approach from CHICAGO. WHy on earth do these numbers have to take place on the soundstage, let alone in Guido's mind, if Marshall already invokes Fellini's surrealism throughout the film. So, the audience can suspend their disbelief when Guido's dead mother appears and disappears from a scene, but we won't buy people singing?

The song that suffers the most from this treatment is "Be Italian". My date said the number was so boring. I had to respond, "Marshall forgot the point of the number isn't a chair dance." It's a memory, why can't Fergie just sing the song in the memory? By moving the song and performance indoors, Marshall forgets what the scene is about. It isn't about Sex; it's about Guido (and in the original production, others as well) learning about sex. And a musical number must move the plot forward within the number itself. So, moving Fergie away from the boys, so she can do a chair routine with 2 dozen more scantily clad women, ignores the purpose of the song and stops the story cold.

Some numbers could have been on the soundstage, sure. But perhaps they should have happened where Guido saw them. Having numbers explode from reality would actually be closer to Fellini's sensibility since Guido, as Fellini, would see the beauty, the surreal, the exceptional in the ordinary around him.

The screenplay is essentailly 8 1/2, with the songs from NINE added. The problem is, to make 8 1/2 in America today, they filled in some narrative along the way to give the film more of a forward-driving narrative. And this only make the plot seem thinner.

So, it's a watered-down 8 1/2 and only one act of NINE.

And the critics who've complained the film doesn't sound very Italian and doesn't feature any great songs have a point, as the film mangled Yeston's score. Cutting many of the songs is fine. It's a film. It's an adaptation. CABARET did it and was all the better for it. But it replaced it with songs that are arguably better. Hudson's "Cinema Italiano" is fine, though unneccesary. (At that point in a film, if your audience is wondering about the style of film Guido would make, you have bigger problems.) Loren's new tune is forgettable. Coilltard's "Take It All" is the best of the new songs, yet the strip-tease is another burlesque song in a score that already have a bit too many for the style it should be.

The poor voices of many of the actors also hurts the score considerable. Onstage, the score has a European sensibility, if not always specifically Italian. But when Daniel Day Lewis or Penelope Cruz talk most of the their songs, they mangle the melody. Many have complained about Kidman's "Unusual Way" and while I think she does fine by it, the song is ravishing onstage and only pretty on film.

And lastly, a huge concern mentioned last because the others were even more disastrous: Daniel Day-Lewis is horribly miscast. He does the best he can, but there is nothing Italian about him. Nothing. No passion, no charm, no guilt, nothing.

The film is pretty, I'll give it that.

The whole point of the movie is for Quido to be inspired so he can create his film. It makes total and complete sense for the musical numbers to take place on the sets of his forthcoming film. That's where all his concentration needs to be.

It's the best film I've seen this year. Have seen it 3 times all ready, and I'll be seeing it again this week.

Updated On: 12/27/09 at 04:01 PM

For those of you (probably ALL of you) that loved the Overture Delle Donne sequence, you can download the video of it on iTunes for FREE!

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=347391718

If you try to sync it to your iPod, it will not work because the file itself is a ".mov" file. However, if you have iTunes 9 (the latest), you can right-click the file and click on "Convert to iPod or iPhone..." and the new file will appear in your Movies section of iTunes and it wil be able to put on your iPod. I am watching it right now!!!

jacobsnchz14---Thanks for posting that! Such a brilliantly staged, exciting sequence! Warts and all, I REALLY did like this film. Seeing this Overture again only strengthens my feelings for it.


And I don't mind one bit that it takes place "in his head." matineeidol2013---You did a nice job explaining why it's appropriate.

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