movie review: Nine

-



Nine is not a film for everyone. It's a film based on the stage play, which was based on Fellini's classic film 8 1/2. Musical films are rather hit or miss in general, and this one seems to be especially polarizing despite its all-star cast.

Here's a breakdown of its stars:
  • Daniel Day-Lewis plays an Italian movie director about to start shooting his latest film that has only a title, a crew and no script. He finds inspiration from the women in his life from imagined musical numbers of them singing.
  • Fergie plays a prostitute from his youth.
  • Nicole Kidman is the star of his film.
  • Marion Cotillard is his wife, whom he met on a film.
  • Sophia Loren is his mother.
  • Dudi Dench is the costume designer.
  • Kate Hudson is a writer for Vogue.
  • Penelope Cruz is his mistress.
Each woman gets her own musical solo, and Marion Cotillard gets two. For more than half of this film, I was ambivalent. I enjoyed it, but it didn't capture my attention; it lacked a little magic. I was surprised how underwhelmed I was with Daniel Day-Lewis's performance. I found his scenes with Penelope Cruz, his mistress, to be the weakest. The other women had more firepower and charisma. Once Marion Cotillard appeared, however, I was absolutely transfixed. She made this movie. Her performance, both acting and singing was transcendent. I hope she gets nominated for an Oscar, but if not, I will finally make a point to see La Vie en Rose, when she played Edith Piaf and won an Oscar.

For me, this film came together more and more as it went on. By the last half hour, I loved the film, but I know it's not a film all moviegoers will enjoy. If you like music, see it. If you want to be absolutely wowed by a performance, rent it on dvd and watch Marion Cotillard's scenes. As a whole, the film is lovely, even if it feels uneven at times.It's not for everyone, but it is a film I adored.

Rating: 4.5 stars
Running time: 118 minutes
Release date: It came out on Christmas, and it's still in theaters. Here's a map showing where it's playing.


As an Amazon Associate, I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase through the above links. Thank you!


Comments

  1. Kristen HoweJanuary 26, 2010 at 8:07 PM

    Wow, must be a great movie, since it a lot of award nominations and wins for the past two months or so. Next up is the Oscar. Sounds like a great hit.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for taking the time to comment. Happy reading!

Popular posts from this blog

Mini-challenge: Where in the World Have You Read Today?

-
Hello, everyone! I hope you're enjoying your day of reading. I'm having a great time at the Empire State Book Festival, but I'm looking forward to reading soon too! Welcome to this hour's mini-challenge! I loved Trish's mini-challenge at the last read-a-thon showing where we all were actually reading, and it gave me the idea to make a map challenge showing where the book(s) we're reading today take place. To enter this mini-challenge, you'll need to do two things: 1. Go to this map .  (You must be signed into a Google account to post on Google maps. You can create a Google account if you don't have one.) Zoom until you find the location you want to click Click edit, which will give you the ability to add a pin mark.  Enter the book(s) you're reading or have read today. Include the title and author. If you're reading in the past or future, feel free to include the year too! If you want to include your blog address (if you have one), ple
Read more

The Backlist Book Club: The Clan of the Cave Bear discussion

-
Image
Welcome to The Backlist Book Club discussion of The Clan of the Cave Bear  by Jean M. Auel. Need a refresher? Check out my review of The Clan of the Cave Bear . 1. Typically, I'm not turned off by unlikable characters, but in The Clan of the Cave Bear , I was. Broud was too unlikable and no one else was likable enough to compensate. Which characters did you find to be likable and unlikable? 2. Even though I didn't like the book, the setting captivated and fascinated me. Much of the novel seemed hyper-realistic, but at times the Clan's traditions veered into science fiction. Overall, did you find the novel believable? 3. I think one of the reasons I didn't connect with Ayla was her age. When the novel began, she was a child, and I struggled to identify with her frustrations. What did you think of Ayla as she aged? Did your impressions of her change? 4. What surprised you in this novel? 5. To whom would you recommend this title? I encourage you to subs
Read more

book review: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

-
Image
The backstory: Gilead  won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2004, and was longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2006. The basics: As Rev. Ames nears the end of his life in the 1950's, he begins a letter to his young son because Ames realizes his son is too young to really know him. Gilead  is that letter. My thoughts: Gilead  is a novel I'm been meaning to read for years. It's a character-driven, Midwestern narrative by one of our best contemporary writers. It should be a novel I love, yet I struggled to finish it and admit I was wowed by neither the story nor the writing. Gilead  seemed almost stream-of-consciousness at first. I appreciated that Robinson jumped right in: this novel is a letter from father to son; the reader's ignorance of these two characters is not the focus. As the novel progressed, more details began to be filled in, and the reader begins to understand the characters, setting and purpose. I enjoyed the firs
Read more