Cult Flops - Nine

Sony/The Weinstein Company, 2009
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotilliard, and Nicole Kidman
Directed by Ken Marshall
Music and Lyrics by Maury Yeston

The film adaptation of the 1982 Broadway show was a bomb when it debuted. Critics pounded on it, especially those who saw the original production. Does it deserve the scorn, or should this tale of an Italian man and the women who inspire him be given a second act? Let's find out...

The Story: Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), an Italian director, is in the midst of a serious mid-life crisis. He has no idea what his next movie will be and puts off answering questions when asked about it. In the hope of rediscovering his muse, he looks back on the women in his life. His favorite costume designer Lili (Judi Dench) tells him about how she learned her art from her time at the Folies Bergeres. He remembers his first sexual awakening, when a prostitute (Fergie) danced for him and his friends on the beach before his ashamed mother (Sophia Loren) punished him. His wife Luisa (Cotilliard), once an actress herself, wants to leave him after she catches him with his mistress Carla (Cruz). He has a chat with an editor for Vogue (Kate Hudson) who reminds him why he loves movies. His leading lady Claudia (Nicole Kidman) points out that he's got no script, no movie, and just seems to be lost.

Seeing him use a scene from their private life in his movie is the last straw for Luisa. After she walks out, he destroys the set and drops the film. Two years later, he's given up...but a chat with Lili and seeing an advertisement for a play with Luisa makes him realize what truly inspires him and what he really wants to make movies about.

The Song and Dance: I had no idea Daniel Day-Lewis could sing so well. He's especially good on "Guido's Song," where the director explains his problem and why he can't focus on his work. I also liked Dench as sarcastic Lili and Cotilliard as unhappy Luisa. Cruz was Oscar-nominated as Guido's fiery mistress Carla, as were the dazzling costumes and sets. The cinematography gives us breathtaking views of Italy and the (real-life) Cinecitta film studios.

Favorite Number: "Cinema Italiano," the fashion designer Stephanie's description of movies and why we love them, was written for the film and is a lot of fun, as is Dench's "Bergeres" number. Fergie's "Be Italian" is appropriately earthy and sensual, while Cotillard does an even sexier striptease to another new song (and Oscar nominee), "Take It All."

What I Don't Like: I kind of feel like director Ken Marshall was trying the same thing he did in Chicago - musical numbers in characters heads while they dance over elaborate sets in skimpy costumes. A lot of the songs are chorus numbers, even when the character should probably be in a solo, and they all start to feel the same after a while. The dark lighting on many of the numbers contributes even further to the feeling of deja-vu. It might be sexier if you could see what most of the dancers are doing.

My biggest complaint here is...who really cares what this guy thinks or wants? I found the entire soap opera with Guido and his women to be monumentally boring. We fly from encounter to encounter with little rhyme or reason. Gudio comes off as such a jerk at times, you can understand why all his muses abandon him. Even Day-Lewis can only do so much with the character.

(And while I haven't heard the cast album for the original show, the movie apparently cut a lot of songs, including the title number and a second song for the prostitute.)

The Big Finale: I didn't think it was quite as bad as critics claimed in 2009...but I can also understand why many people had problems with it. It's worth a look once if you're a fan of Marshall or the cast and are willing to overlook the changes from the original show (or haven't heard it, like me).

Home Media: Not available for streaming on Amazon at press time, but the DVD and the Blu-Ray can be found for fairly cheap.

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