In Review: Burlesque

The Gist

An unpretentious film that at first look rides upon the fame of its lead stars Cher and Christina Aguilera, but at closer examination has more to offer than its two leads: great dialogues, entertaining musical numbers, proper pacing. The only downside being driven by typical story, which is offset by its charm and wit.

The Good

• excellent witty dialogues, lovely scriptwriting
• great musical numbers
• simple and easy to follow story with a great resolution

The Bad

• a typical used up storyline
• fails to actually discuss history of Burlesque and what made it popular

Synopsis

Ali (Aguilera) is an orphan from Iowa. Seeing that she wants to live no one's life on her hometown, she decides to try her luck on Los Angeles. In her search for a singing job in Los Angeles, she stumbles upon the Burlesque lounge ran by Tess (Cher). Initially entranced by the the Burlesque girls, Ali decides to take a waitress job while she waits for the perfect time to audition to Tess and make it on stage.

One Box of Cookies

What I actually like about the film is about just how witty it gets. I wasn't expecting this and was actually expecting a drag in it. But just like Easy A, it has none. It was like an aircraft with a perfect aerodynamic shape that doesn't have any drags. It just went from one lively scene to another. Possibly for those who dislike musicals or aren't fans of Christina, the musical numbers were those draggy parts that I missed. But I wouldn't say so. The musical numbers are really good. Optionally, one may watch the DVD and cut them off and wouldn't miss much. But then, that's supposedly what the film is to stand on. Unfortunately for me, it stood more on the dialogues and witty exchanges. You are always excited for what they are going to say. Lines like, "Never underestimate us farm girls because we know a cow when we see one," "You have a nickname, too, only I use it when you're not around. Slut," "You see, Jack, I'm the type of girl who's always there when a friend is down. That's just who I am," May all seem like textbook writing, but the deliveries are all perfect and pulls off well.

Beautiful People

Objectivity counts. And for a first timer, Aguilera did well. Of course some may want an Oscar-winning performance, but give the girl a break. Filmed back when she was svelte, Aguilera's acting was as smooth as her Burlesque body. Not award-winning, but thoroughly believable. Her exchanges were good and she wasn't one that you wish stops acting so that the camera can focus on her support cast. No, you would actually like her presence in the film, be it when she's singing or delivering her lines.

Stanley Tucci was again the master of charm. Dude certainly knows how to do it right. And no matter how similar his well-loved roles are (Prada, Easy A, and Burlesque characters are all similarly acted) it doesn't matter. He is just too love-able and beyond reproach. He has his ways of taking his characters and make them act like Stanley Tucci.

The rest of the cast were equally good. Cher was believable at some bits, but she has plastic-surgeried herself beyond the capacity for facial expressions. Kristen Bell was believable in her role as a prat and so was Julianne Hough in her role as a dodo. Cam Gigandet was equally likable in his deliveries and his exchanges with Christina made for a good on-screen chemistry.

But there were things to frown at, say the typical story for starters. I like how they resolved the problem with the Burlesque club's pending eviction--but the storyline is too typical to make the film Oscar-nodded. But who are we kidding? Isn't the simple and charming story what made the film so nice to watch to begin with?

Another thing which might not rub well with the guys are the musical numbers. Musicals aren't for men. And to be honest, I always feel uncomfortable watching them--save for Chicago which the music was used for an artistic narration. I bet most guys who are not familiar with Christina's work or with showtunes are going to wish the musical numbers to end quick (save for the Guy What Takes His Time number) in the same manner I did with Tangled. If the musical numbers were a form of narration, this would have been one hell of an Award frontrunner. But they are used merely to show people what happens inside a Burlesque lounge. Which some burlesque artists contradict and say that Burlesque is a farce of what real Burlesque really is.

Which brings me to my next frown, maybe a little historical accuracy with what Burlesque really is would have been better. This was more of a Showgirls kind of film. Real American Burlesque I am afraid is not like what's in the movie at all--it's a bit dirtier, with more stripping than teasing--but I do suppose they meant a different Burlesque and there were no pretentions about that anyway.

My verdict:

A passing and recommended mark of 4/5.