Moulin Rouge!

“The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”The sparks that Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman ignite as hopeless romantic Christian and unsure realist Satine are so bright, they're almost blinding. Their chemistry, for once, feels genuine, rather than "written," and it is the doomed love story of these two people that turn the movie into such a complex and touching experience. McGregor and Kidman are stunning in their roles, eliciting both the passion and determination that any two people have who are in love. Both of them, as well as the rest of the actors, sing their own songs, and they turn out to be startlingly talented at it. Special notice must go to Kidman, who has never been better. Often coming off as somehow aloof, Kidman fills Satine with a warmth that I can’t imagine any other actress playing her. Aside from its two stars, where Moulin Rouge excels is in the almost non-stop barrage of singing. About eighty five percent of the story is told through the original art form of song, all of which are classic pop tunes and love ballads from post 1899. Just because we are in turn of the 20th-century Paris, director Baz Luhrmann so convincingly argues, doesn't necessarily mean that people back then couldn't have the right to sing everything 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." The film plays like a veritable who's who of '60s, '70s, and '80s music, and it is not only entertaining, but actually serves a strong purpose within the narrative. Each musical number and there are a lot of them are orchestrated with such unabashed energy and passion that you can't help but drift away in its rapturous spell. With Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann has made his masterpiece as a filmmaker, though maybe I’m calling it too soon since I haven’t watched Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby. The camera is constantly moving, swooping around people and objects, or zooming into building windows or through beautiful city landscapes. It is not done to keep the interest of the attention-impaired, though, but to simply aid in creating a glitzy, one of a kind universe. Additionally, the story, written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, is just strong enough to be fully satisfying, while not being bogged down by over plotted developments. In a day when so many motion pictures strive for nothing more than adequacy, Moulin Rouge is alive with creativity and wonder, proving that the medium of film can take us anywhere, and act upon us in any way possible. One part comedy, one part romance, and one part tragedy, Moulin Rouge is a remarkable triumph.