On occasion you’ll see a movie where you’re not quite sure what to expect or perhaps think you’ll see something only to be surprised. It may not be the best movie ever made, but it does offer a touch of entertainment, doesn’t bore you to tears and even puts a smile on your face. BURLESQUE is one of those movies.
Now by the name implied there are probably some who think that the movie involves non-stop strippers in various states of undress. Those folks will be disappointed. But fans of both Cher and Christina Aguilera and their singing abilities will find that the movie delivers all that they could hope for and more.
Aguilera stars as Ali, a young girl from a small town with dreams of something more. She wants to sing and dance and so one day heads to Los Angeles. She arrives and searches for a job only to be turned down time after time. She sees the sign for a club called Burlesque and enters just to find out what’s going on. Inside she sees a bevy of beauties dancing on stage in skimpy outfits lip synching some classic tunes. Desperate for a job, she’s directed to the club’s owner Tess (Cher) by bartender Jack (Can Gigandet).
Ali stumbles through her request, begging for the chance to be a dancer in the show, but Tess turns her down telling her to come back when they have auditions. Returning to the bar Ali sees an opportunity when a waitress offers terrible service. Putting her past skills to use, Ali takes on the role of waitress telling Jack if she doesn’t do better than his current staff, she’ll walk but if she does, she gets a job. Needless to say she gets the job.
Tess and show production co-coordinator/best friend Sean (Stanley Tucci) notice her working and let it pass. The shows star Nikki (Kristin Bell) notices her too and takes an instant disliking to Ali. Nikki is that typical bitchy star who thinks the world revolves around her and anyone who doesn’t treat her as such deserves to be gone. But Ali hangs in there, waiting for her big chance.
Months go by during which time Ali has her apartment broken into. Jack offers her a place to stay until she gets on her feet, but it’s a purely platonic relationship since Jack’s engaged (his girlfriend is in New York doing a play at the moment though). When audition time arrives, Ali takes to the stage but doesn’t give the performance Tess is looking for. When she asks Tess what she wants Tess tells her she doesn’t even know herself but that she has to take command of the stage and make it her own. Emboldened by this nugget of information, Ali gives an audition that floors Tess and Sean and is added to the line up of dancer, a move that doesn’t sit well with Nikki.
While this little drama is going on, Tess is fighting a losing battle to keep the club open. The club is and always has been her dream but her ex-husband and partner Vince (Peter Gallagher) sees it as nothing but a losing battle. Add to that a buzzard like businessman named Marcus (Eric Dane) who wants to buy the club to tear it down to build condos and you have problems. Ali suggests to Tess that they change it up and have the girls actually sing instead of lip synch but Tess won’t listen.
Nikki, always the trouble maker, always late and almost always drunk, fails to show for her set one night. Instead, Tess puts Ali in her place. As the girls begin their set, Nikki cuts the music track playing and Tess begins to bring down the curtain. All stops as soon as Ali begins to sing on her own with a voice that demands attention. The curtain rises, the band comes in and Ali takes control of the stage to a standing ovation.
Now the centerpiece of the show, crowds begin to come into the club. A shrewd businessman, Marcus sets his eye on Ali, just as he did before on Nikki when she was the big draw. And as he begins to woo Ali, Jack sees a missed opportunity set in. The entire time he and Ali have lived together in his apartment the attraction was there, he just never acted on it.
So the stage is set. Will Tess lose the club? Will Ali be a big enough draw to save it? Will Nikki find a way to stop it all from happening? Will Jack and Ali get together or will Marcus take her away and make her the star she always dreamed of? All answers are found before the movie ends.
Some have said that this movie is nothing more than a retelling of COYOTE UGLY with different music. In some ways that’s true but not entirely. The ingénue trying to make it in big city after leaving a small town behind is there. Dancing and singing is there. But this movie has a different vibe to it. It’s also been compared to SHOWGIRLS with a different setting and less skin. Once more, with the exception of the small town/big city story it offers something more. And is much less tacky.
This is a feel good movie. You enjoy the musical numbers that are more along the lines of CHICAGO than they are the old Gene Kelly movies of the past. Aguilera does a pretty good job for this being her first major role in a big time film. If you just thought of her as another pretty face you’ll be surprised. I’ve never been a big fan of her vocal styling but they fit the film perfectly. Cher is believable as the ex-dancer/singer with a dream of a place of her own. Bell does a great job as the catty star whose spotlight is taken away and Gigandet turns out to be not only a good actor but nice love interest for Aguilera to play off of.
The movie is cotton candy for the eyes and ears. It offers some good music and some dynamite dance sequences. It’s entertaining without going too deep. In essence it’s a movie that makes you feel good and have a good time, something that more movies should do. I don’t think this film ever intended to be an Oscar winner, but fans of musicals and of the cast will get their money’s worth with this one.
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