Moulin Rouge! (2001)

20th Century Fox, 2001
Starring Ewan MacGregor, Nicole Kidman, John Leguziamo, and Jim Broadbent
Directed by Baz Lutherman
Music and lyrics by many, many authors

We head around the world and back in time, from late 30's Hawaii to Paris in 1899, for our next film. I'm doing this one in honor of the stage version opening at the Al Hirscheld Theater in New York tomorrow. This colorful tragedy has become one of the most popular of recent musicals; while it wasn't a huge hit in 2001, it did well enough to pick up a cult following of musical enthusiasts and lovers of spectacle. How does this wild phantasmagoria look today? Let's head to a small apartment in the bohemian Monmartre district of Paris to find out...

The Story: Christian (MacGregor), a struggling writer, narrates the tragic tale of his love for a courtesan, Satine (Kidman). Shortly after moving to Paris, he falls in with his unconventional neighbors, including artist and performer Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (Leguziamo). They want him to sell their big show, Spectacular Spectacular, to Zidler (Broadbent), the owner of the wildly popular Moulin Rouge nightclub. They arrange for him to join Satine in her room at the top of a giant elephant-shaped building and sell her on the show. Christian ends up falling for her instead. Trouble is, she's already promised to a wealthy and jealous Duke (Richard Roxborough), who is also supposed to be meeting with her. When he shows up, Christian, Satine, and the other bohemians claim they were practicing lines for Spectacular Spectacular, making up its plot on the spot.

They do manage to convince the Duke to back the show, but the Duke insists on having Satine exclusively. She agrees, but Christian continues to press his suit during rehearsals. They finally fall in love on top of the elephant after he convinces her that love is freedom. They see each other on the pretense of rehearsing their lines. It's getting more and more obvious to the Duke, who orders Christian killed, and Zidler, who has learned disquieting news about Satine. "The Show Must Go On," even when both lovers are broken-hearted and a hitman is skulking around backstage. Christian thinks it's all over, but love will find away, even if only for a few minutes.

The Song and Dance: "Spectacular Spectacular" is an accurate description of the film and the show within it. Lutherman specializes in crazily-edited spectacle and colorful lunacy, and you can see that here in spades. Every number in the film swirls and twirls around the screen, dancing as much as the actual performers. The Moulin Rouge is nearly a character in its own right, as colorful and outrageous as the characters who parade across it. Kidman was Oscar-nominated for her turn here as the dying courtesan; the colorful costumes and glittering sets won. MacGregor was also excellent as the love-besotted writer; he and Kidman revealed gorgeous voices to boot. Other stand-outs include Roxborough as the insanely jealous aristocrat and Leguziamo as the diminuative (real-life) artist.

Favorite Number: Three medleys bracket Christian's first encounter with Satine and them falling for each other. "Lady Marmalade" and "Sparkling Diamonds" introduces us to the decadent world of Moulin Rouge, with quick cuts that show off the rainbow debauchery going on. Satine's introduction on a swing to "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" may be this film's most iconic moment, along with the fantasy dance in the elephant to Elton John's "Your Song." "The Elephant Love Medley" incorporates no less than 12 songs as Christian finally convinces Satine that love means a lot more than a financial transaction. "El Tango Del Roxanne" turns "Roxanne" by The Police into a tempestuous Spanish-inflected routine for the narcoleptic Argentinian (Jacek Korman), Christian, and the Moulin Rouge dancers as they reveal just how jealous the young writer has become of Satine's being owned by the Duke.

What I Don't Like: Hoo boy. This one defines "over the top." It's just about the campiest musical in existence. Everything is bombastic, loud, crazy, and flashy. If you're looking for something lower-key, quieter, or with a stronger story, this isn't your show. The in-your-face editing occasionally makes it hard to see what's going on in any given number; that works for "Lady Marmalade" at the Moulin Rouge, where the party is supposed to be wild, but not so much with less loony moments like "El Tango Del Roxanne."  It's also not for anyone who isn't a fan of musicals in general. There's a ton of music in this movie, almost all of it performed either on stage or to move the plot along.

The Big Finale: I've loved this film since I saw it with my sister when it came out in June 2001, but it's not for everyone. If you like your musicals big, bigger, and biggest or are a fan of the cast or Lutherman's campy style, you'll want to climb on that elephant and check it out.

Home Media: Surprisingly, despite the film's rabid fan base, both the solo DVD and Blu-Ray are currently out of print. You may be better off looking for this one on streaming platforms or paired with other movies, including another campy Lutherman romance featuring Leguziamo, Romeo + Juliet, and the Cinderella tale Ever After.

DVD
DVD - Romantic Tales Collection
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime