Okay, so I finally rented "Moulin Rouge" over the weekend. And I will confess that for the first twenty minutes or so, I was REALLY impressed. It's a complete spectacle -- I just loved the way it was filmed -- the costumes and the fast pacing and the music and the sets. The singing parts were fun because they were usually songs I recognized. And I was, of course, greatly impressed with Ewan McGregor, who was not only looking damn cute in his little tuxedo thingy, but also managing to carry a tune pretty solidly.However, by the end of the first 20 minutes, the novelty was starting to wear off. By the end of the movie, I was bored, bored, bored. It's so repetitive -- every five minutes Sateen and Christian end up alone together again, breaking into cheesy love song. Yawn. Okay! We get it! You're in love and it's torturous! Also, Nicole Kidman's pathetic coughing started to get on my nerves as well -- reminded me of my 9 month old niece who has just learned how to fake cough for attention. And while I do realize that the style of the film called for overacting, Sateen flung her hand over her brow in a swoon about four too many times for me. The only thing keeping me going was the knowledge that she was going to kick off soon (sorry to sound so crass). I do have to say I groaned loudly the first time I heard her cough though -- they couldn't come up with anything more interesting than CONSUMPTION?
It was clear to me by the mid-point of the film that the star wasn't Ewan or Nicole -- it was the spectacle itself. There's nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but it's definitely something much more suited to a five minute music video than a two-hour film. While I'm glad I've now seen it, and while I truly DID enjoy the first few scenes, it's not something I could EVER sit through again.
Do ya hate me now? So be it. At least I gave it a try, right?