MovieChat Forums > Moulin Rouge! (2001) Discussion > As someone who honestly loved this movie...

As someone who honestly loved this movie, I still have to say...

posted 9 years ago by KingofSweden
4 replies | jump to latest

It was still an incredible chore to sit through.

Moulin Rouge! is most certainly a love-it-or-hate-it film, but not so much the concept but the execution. I love the idea of a Hollywood musical that isn't afraid to incorporate modern songs into a classic story, and tells that story with real power and emotion.

But man, there were some things that I really hated:
1. Ewan McGregor. His face. His overacting. Everything about this character I hated. His performance was so contrived and his romance with Satine felt completely unbelievable and pathetic. I don't know why Luhrmann fell so in love with this guy. He isn't cute, he isn't charming, just really, really, annoying. I hate how he screamed so much of his songs and was such a dramatic mess 24/7. Maybe that's what the movie called for, but for the average viewer, it's ingratiating.

2. The cheap look of the film. The movie felt like such a hot mess and looked poorly executed. The CGI looked like crap and as a whole, the set felt randomly thrown together.

3. The overacting of much of the characters. Satine during Christian's "poetry reading." The Duke. Need I say more? This movie is exhausting.

4. The editing. We couldn't have a shot lasting more for than 3 seconds at all? Even when it really mattered?

Sadly, these things are a huge problem for me. I loved the Roxanne scene and how it was intercut with Satine and the Duke. The power of emotion was palpable. I loved the little bit at the end of the credits ("This story is about...")

I loved this movie after seeing that last bit of the credits. I really felt like Baz was trying to create a movie about love, however chaotic or troubling it may be, and for the most part he succeeded. I am a romantic, and so I loved this movie, but the movie's flaws really kill it when it matters.

2/5.

The world looks to Sweden. 

[–] keyvenx 9 years ago

That's a really interesting take on the movie.

1. I believe most people - including me - thought Ewan absolutely killed it. His naive exuberance is pulpable, but I guess you saw it differently. Yes in a sense he was a caricature of a love-sick puppy, but he's so charismatic I still loved his performance. And no, I'm not a girl nor a SNAG (or am I?).

2. The look of the movie was not supposed to be realistic, it was supposed to be hyperrealistic. I think I read somewhere that Luhrmann wanted a semi-cartoonish vibe (my words) so it wouldn't jar audiences unfamiliar with musicals. He believed audiences at that time would be more accepting of Disney-like characters breaking into song at the drop of a hat rather than the cast of a rom-com.

3. See 2.

4. See 3. What's rather tiresome is people exclaiming that the whole movie only consisted of shots that lasted less than 3s. That may have been true in the beginning but once it shifted gears in the more serious second half, there were plenty of "regular" shots.

Glad you enjoyed the movie, and it's a fair review from your POV, but I'm just sharing the viewpoint of someone who really enjoyed it when it came out in the theaters.

[–] KingofSweden 9 years ago

Thanks for your response! I'm actually laughing to myself reading my original post because it seems so harsh now. 

I guess my main gripe about Ewan was that his acting seemed a little...amateurish? Like that one guy in your drama club that just tries way too hard with an emotion and it just doesn't ever really hit home? That's what it was for me. Like his expressions of excitement (or just expressions in general) seemed so amateur to me. I guess that isn't really something he can help (every actor has their strengths and weaknesses); Ewan I think is a trained actor? I guess it's just how I felt.

His character's lines and actions for me also felt very self-centered. Like his utter anger for the Duke because he's getting in the way of his relationship with Satine and how he treats Satine when she tries to get him to believe she doesn't love him. I found it annoying how Luhrmann sort of used Christian as the "moral filter" for the film, where everything that happened eventually found its way to him and the audience always saw his reaction. Christian wasn't always sensible in the situation, and perhaps that's because he was naive and immature, but since when are these foibles ever to be celebrated? I did love his rendition of Your Song, though.

I absolutely take back what I said about the Duke. That actor was AWESOME. I sort of concede that Luhrmann can create whatever setting he wants (crazy, quick editing, etc.) and the Duke was just perfect. Such a ridiculously entertaining character.

Moulin Rouge! is a film made for eccentrics and people with low expectations. I don't mean this in a negative way at all, but I think for any critical viewer there is an assembly of expectations that we bring to a film: a coherent plot, successful cast ensemble, good editing, etc., and Moulin Rouge! is so wildly out of the box that you can't really review it on those merits, really. It is exactly what Baz Luhrmann wanted to do, and for the outside viewer you just have to ask yourself if you can bring yourself to enjoy it too. For other viewers, they can without a doubt. But for me, I guess it's a tougher sell. That ending after the credits really hit me like a ton of bricks, though, and it made me re-evaluate and love this film.

The world looks to Sweden. 

[–] keyvenx 7 years ago

I think the exaggerated emotions and colors are meant to be reminiscent of a stage where there's a surrealistic edge to everything. The film seems to be riding the thin line between a movie and theatre, and Luhrmann wanted to constantly remind us of that fact.

Less daring directors might have stuck to Hollywood conventions and shot it within audience expectations instead of pushing the envelope like he did. For that I'm eternally grateful.

And yeah the Duke is awesome. He's the very definition of a cartoon villain a la Dick Dastardly.

[–] 7 years ago

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