Movie Review: Burlesque

I seriously had doubts walking into this film because, to me, trainwreck was just written all over it. I mean, sure, the trailer looked sharp, flashy and fun, but how often does that turn out well especially with the acting debut of Christina Aguilera herself? Shockingly though - and I mean it - I enjoyed Burlesque enormously.

True, it didn't try to be much more than a music-themed film as the plot seemed to be quite derivative as if the people behind it realized that they couldn't just release a film of Aguilera belting out random songs. So, they just threw a story together to pad out the moments between musical numbers. Haha. But seriously, no matter how flawed or trite the story was, the songs, dance choreography and the performances concealed everything.

The musical performances - though some were incredibly forgettable - were compelling and entertaining. The variety of songs were surprisingly broad. The costumes were stunning. It had beautiful lighting, gorgeous set pieces and a picturesque setting. Need I say more? On a technical standpoint, the film delivered. 

Acting-wise, I thought everyone performed well. As a first staring vehicle for Christina Aguilera, I thought she gave quite a decent performance considering that, well, she's not an actress. She translated the character well to the screen and obviously, she was great with all her musical numbers. So, whether you like her or not, she hit and hold the notes perfectly, and she really wasn't that bad of an actress. Now, Cher, on the other hand, was actually decent. I'm not a fan of her music - even her movies - but she portrayed her role quite nicely.

As for the supporting cast, I thought they were all excellent. Stanly Tucci was, yet again, overwhelmingly charming and Cam Gigandet was sexy and sensitive - pulling off the black eyeliner with ease. Also, I found Kristen Bell to be ridiculously good. Her character seemed one-dimensional but there was something about her portrayal that hit the right spots. Oh, and a Glee star made a cameo, which made me grin like a retard. Haha.

If I have any other quibble about this film, aside from the worn-out plot, was the fact that everything got resolved with the minimum of trouble. It was too convenient that the level of dramatic tension didn't go anywhere. Sad.

Ultimately though, if you are going to see this film, just enjoy it for what it is. It's not a masterpiece, by any means, but it's seriously a good piece of entertainment - no more no less.

RATING: 7/10