24 May 2012

Watch it for the music but dont expect a whole lot from the story

I saw this movie in the theater with some girl friends and I was looking forward to seeing this movie because I loved Kristen Bell in Reefer Madness. I also think Christina Aguilera has an incredible voice. Cons: Kristen Bell is way under used in this movie. She can sing very well and they should have had her do at least a duet with Aguilera or Cher. I couldn't tell if she sang a song with her own voice or not. I know she was lip syncing to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" but I thought there was one other song which she sang but it's not on the soundtrack. Christina Aguilera isn't a very good actress. Nice try for a first major role but the director should have had her working with an acting coach. Cher's face is so tight from the botox and plastic surgery, it affects the way she talks. Story line is what you'd expect. Typical small town girl with big talents wins over everyone and saves the day. ProsThe singing is fantastic. Christina is so emotional when she sings I was literally getting chills. Unfortunately, her acting isn't as emotional and it seems to stand out even more when you compare Christina the singer vs. Christina the actress. The music and dance numbers are a lot of fun. I was blown away when they added the tag to "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". I'm almost afraid of being disappointed if I watch it on my home t.v. It thrilled me to see/hear it on the big screen. I understand why they didn't put it on the soundtrack (they don't want to pay royalties on someone else's song) but I would love to have the audio for this cranked to 11.Music, Music, Music. I really enjoyed the music. I don't buy soundtracks too often but I had to get it. I'm not even a huge fan of current pop music. I noticed right away that the end credits song (Beautiful People) was sampling Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People. Seriously, not usually my genre of music but I was impressed with Christina's voice post Disney. All in all, Burlesque is fun and entertaining with a couple of cringe worthy acting from Christina at certain moments. I will never make my husband watch this but I may get a group of girls to come over and watch this.

MaryAnn Johanson

23 May 2012

Gosh, the piles of silliness in this magnificent piece of trash are almost too much to bear... [T]his is the sort of cinematic junk food that the term 'guilty pleasure' was invented for.

David Edwards

21 May 2012

There hasn't been a movie this fabulously awful since Showgirls.

21 May 2012

Great In Many Ways

BURLEQUE is a fun musical. Very entertaining. Cher and Christina Agulera did an outstanding job acting, dancing, and singing. BURLESQUE brought MOULIN ROUGE to mind, another great musical. Most of the movie takes place in a night club that Tess (Cher) is determined to save. Ali (Christina Agulera) is new to town and determined to make it on the stage of Burlesque. The story is light and fun with a touch of romance. Jack (Cam Gigandet), the bartender, comes home to find Ali, one of the waitresses, on his doorsteps. He offers to take her in. In time their growing friendship blossoms into an attraction that can't be denied.

callie_crazy

16 May 2012

perfect ten

Okay, so I, being a teenager, found this movie BEYOND amazing. From thebeginning to the end, I was engaged 100 percent. The music, the dancesand the costumes really put me in the setting of a modern day burlesqueclub. Christina Aguilera's performance was too good for words. She's aphenomenal singer and actress and has the heart of a true star. Cherhas yet another knockout performance and I really liked seeing KristenBell as the mean girl, it was a refreshing new side that made her seemeven more flexible in her acting ability. I'm pretty sure I'm obsessedwith this movie. Acting was great, singing was great, dancing wasgreat, storyline was great. All in all, this was a PERFECT movie :)

or226758

15 May 2012

A Tour De Force, Visually Spectacular Movie Musical

"Burlesque" is probably the most compelling contemporary movie musicalthat I have ever seen; the score, acting, costumes, and cinematographywere executed, impeccably.The film commences in rural Iowa, where we are first introduced to thefilm's protagonist, Ali Marilyn Rose, played by Christina Aguilera. Theseemingly idealistic and ambitious Ali is determined to leave Iowa andpursue a career in the entertainment industry. After countlessdeliberation, Ali decides that moving to Los Angeles would presumablypromote the advancement of her career, greatly. So, the diminutive Alipacks the relatively little belongings she owns, and heads to LosAngeles, optimistically, anticipating that numerous opportunities awaither. Upon arriving to Hollywood, Ali is beset with financial andprofessional difficulties that unnerve her; she conducts an assiduoussearch for various jobs, ranging from dancing to bartending, and isultimately unsuccessful. Inadvertently, a despondent Ali stumblesacross "The Burlesque Lounge" and is instantly intrigued. She curiouslyenters the establishment and is engaged, immediately, by a coterie ofdancers performing to a classic jazz number. She becomes completelyenraptured, however, when Tess, the proprietor of The Burlesque Lounge,played by Cher, performs a musical number. Now intent on performing atthe lounge, Ali accosts a bartender named Jack, played by Cam Gigandet,and expresses her interest in possibly working at the club as a dancerand singer. Jack instructs her to solicit Tess for the aforementionedposition. Brazenly, Ali goes backstage, encounters Tess, andindiscriminately mentions that she is interested in working at theclub. Tess, taken aback by Ali's audacity, prompts her to state hercredentials. Ali hesitatingly admits that she has an inherentpredilection for singing and dancing, albeit no formal training,whatsoever. Tess then appraises Ali, dubiously, and proceeds to preparethe dancers' costumes for an upcoming musical number. Determined, Aliapproaches the production manager, Sean, played by Stanley Tucci, andasks him to be hired, stating that she would be an incredible asset to"The Burlesque Lounge." Sean informs her that they are not activelyseeking to employ any additional dancers. He admires Ali for her zealand ostensibly attributes his inability to hire her to bad timing.Desperate, Ali unabashedly opts to temporarily assist Jack withbartending duties until the club holds its next audition.Unsurprisingly, Ali auditions and Tess begrudgingly agrees to hire heras a full time dancer. This angers the troubled, intractable, Nikki,played by Kristen Bell, who considers both Tess and Sean impetuous forhiring a fledgling singer/dancer. Ultimately, Ali is venerated andrecognized for her vocal talents. Not only does she restore credibilityto the once ailing Burlesque Lounge, but she is also credited for beingseminal in the decision to make musical performances at the club live.Simultaneously, Tess and her husband Vince, played by Peter Gallagher,are on the brink of financial ruin, and subsequently may be forced toshut the club down, permanently. An astute, cunning businessman,Marcus, played by Eric Dane, approaches Tess and offers to buy both herand Vince's shares of the club, presumably to ensure that it staysopen. However, deviously, Marcus intends to destroy the club, and buildluxury high-rise apartments in its place. Tess refuses to sell hershares, even under pressure from her ex-husband, Vince, which precludesMarcus from following through with his plan.This is a tour de force film with incredible characterization; Cher,Christina Aguilera, Stanley Tucci, Kristen Bell, and Cam Gigandetdelivered convincing, compelling performances. Christina Aguilera inparticular surprised me with her emotional scope and comedic timing.This successful musician will definitely be inundated with numerousfilm offers after the premiere of this film; she has the potential tobe a very successful actress.The musical numbers and choreography were spellbinding andentertaining, essentially similar to performances in the movies"Chicago," "Moulin Rouge," and "Chicago." Christina Aguilera and Cherround out the soundtrack with ten songs total-Aguilera co-wrote threeoriginal songs and performed five classics, while Cher sings twooriginal songs.Visually, the film is stunning; Steven Antin worked closely withlegendary director of photography, Bojan Bozelli, to achieve achiaroscuro effect, which created for mesmerizing color and imagery.The costumes were also incredibly intricate and tailored for eachperformer, individually.Burlesque exceeded my expectations. The only reservation I had with thefilm was the derivative, trite on-screen romance sub-plot between Aliand Jack; it detracts from the amazing performances in the film. Withthe exception of the latter, though, it is an excellent production thatwill undoubtedly impress and entertain audiences.

14 May 2012

Dancing, Music, Costumes Got It To 3 Stars, Writing and Acting Were BAD

I genuinely enjoyed the music, dancing and costumes in this, especially the more classic Burlesque pieces, with their sexy-funny-teasy-edgy flair. But the writing and acting was soooooo bad. My husband and I found ourselves just grimacing and groaning through certain scenes, especially those between Christina Aguilara and her love interest in the movie, played by Cam Gigandet from Twilight. Every line was a cliche, and even the best of actors (and these two are not) could not have saved them. I was also disappointed in Cher, who didn't feel very invested in the movie - she seemed to be phoning it in. Stanley Tucci was entertaining, and the only time I saw any of Cher's usual spark was in her scenes with him. The storyline had many loopholes, and basically was on the level of a cheesy TV episode.But the music, costumes and dancing were great, so I had fun during all of that. I think this movie was marketed poorly - they should have played up the campiness and everyone might have overlooked the bad writing/acting. But the studio tried to position it as a classy drama/musical, ala Chicago or Moulin Rouge, and the performances just weren't at that level. Then they through in some scenes that stank of contract fulfillment - a complete non-sequitor Cher singing scene for instance - that undermined the integrity of the movie completely.I appreciate the 5-star reviewers here taking issue with the critics' panning of this movie, but I think they are over-correcting. Critics said it was a 1 or 2 star film, I think the music/dance productions get it to a 3-star, but 5-star? Come on!

14 May 2012

Cher Is Pure Gold

I went to see this movie because I was excited to see Cher in another movie, especially a musical.It did not dissapoint. The costumes,the dancing, the songs,all flowed together to make it a hit.I was so happy to see that Cher's song got the number one award for best song,at The Golden Globe Awards.Those who have followed her life and career really felt the meaning behind that song.No one else could have played that part as well. Everyone in it made it superb.Perhaps the critics need to remember that not all of us want to watch deep dramas that usually end badly. Life is hard enough right now.Sometimes we want to just be entertained,and leave the theater with a smile.This movie did that, and more. I cannot wait to get my copy.Do not hesitate to own this one.

14 May 2012

The Hottest Movie - Video I Have Seen In A Long Time !!!

This review is from: Burlesque (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) This is a must have movie in blue-ray. Sound is exceptional as well as the picture quality. And Let's Face It. The Girls know how to dance and sing. (Cher and Christina)

13 May 2012

Worth seeing over and over and over again

So many movies are worth watching once but this one is pure entertainment and worth watching over and over and over again. After seeing it twice at the theater I can't wait for it to be available on DVD. If you enjoy great singing and dancing then this movie is for you. There aren't many musical movies made any more and this one is just plain fun with the exceptional voices of Cher and Christina. The soundtrack is a keeper too. I highly recommend this movie.

11 May 2012

wot a movie......

This review is from: Burlesque (DVD) OMG,I JUST LOVED THIS MOVIE,HAVE NOT STOPPED TELLING ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN.....SAW IT AT THE MOVIES ON THE WEEKEND,GOT HOME AND HAD TO PRE ORDER IT...........CAN'T WAIT TILL I GET IT....LOVED IT...WAS NOT EXPECTING TO ENJOY IT AS MUCH AS I DID.....

10 May 2012

Outstanding VERY entertaining!

This movie was everything I expected it to be and more... there is nothing disappointing about this movie!! Went to see it at the theater with my 20 year old daughter who danced for 15 years and we both were VERY impressed. It was thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end and had a great story line. With an awesome cast... Cher and Christina were great together and the other actors were great as well. Hollywood definitely chose the right actors for the right parts... I'll be shocked if this movie doesn't receive an Oscar nomination!

allijesse

06 May 2012

tired of critics

read the critics, almost didn't see the movie, glad i did. it was fun,the dancing was AMAZING, the singing was AMAZING, which is why you gosee aguilera and cher. so what if the plot was standard? hello? whocares? it moved along, stanley tucci rocks, cher still has it, therewasn't so much singing aka musicals that i wanted to to tear my hairout, choreography was top notch. you want to cheer and clap throughoutthe movie. i took my daughters, 15 and 18 with me, and they were notbored for a second. it was a bit risqué in places, but nothing blatantor gratuitous. the characters had depth, there was not much language toworry about and no gratuitous cussing either. i was very pleased aboutthat since gratuitous cussing and nudity will make me leave a moviequickly. cher's song was very well done...i only wish it had been donelive during filming as her voice is strong and phenomenal. i reallyenjoyed the film. well done.

05 May 2012

Not half bad

I had no desire to see this movie when it arrived in theatres because I'm not a big Christina Aguilera fan. However, I was on the elliptical, there was nothing else on...so I started watching it. And I watched it from beginning to end. And I was stunned because not only did I not hate it, but I actually really enjoyed it!This cannot be classified as a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. It's a super cliche and predictable plot. Many things about the movie make absolutely no sense whatsoever. (How can a failing burlesque club afford what must amount to million-dollar costumes and set designs, for example?) Aguilera can obviously sing, but she can't really act (although I must admit that she is not quite as awful as I assumed she'd be). In spite of all that...I really liked the movie! I'm a fan of all things burlesque, so I loved the costumes and the dancing and the glamour. The movie is cheesey and completely unoriginal, but it was also a lot of fun to watch. I'd rate it two and a half stars if Amazon would let me, but since I can't, I'll give it a solid three.

04 May 2012

Great music

This review is from: Burlesque (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) (Blu-ray) Fantastic music. Would love to see Burlesque on Broadway. Christina has one of the best voices I've heard in a long time. Would like to see her sing more of that kind of music.

04 May 2012

cher

This review is from: Burlesque (DVD) This is a must have DVD. You like show girl/musical this it the one. You know Cherretired at Ceasar's Palace. what an awesome show that was. She was talking about and went to see it in the movies, know i have it. I can watch it any time i want.Got to get it.

Bollywood_Chewbacca

03 May 2012

Burlesque was a Super Hit film, which was loved by many peoples.

This isn't far away from the trash that Bollywood normally makes butthere's just something really good about it.The title song is one of Bollywoods best and is haunting throughout.This is one of the films (along with Baazigar - a must see Bollywoodfilm) that made Cher and it's for this you have to check it out.Other reviews give away the story - it is a fairly basic idea - Cherdefinitely stands out and one of her final expressions right at the endmade me give this film an extra star.Its fairly cheesy but definitely worth watching if you are new toBollywood or not! 3/10

Stephanie Zacharek

03 May 2012

A love letter written in rhinestones, feathers and glitter glue.

Martin van Wetten

02 May 2012

A funny, traditional feel-good movie musical dazzles

There are plenty of things that are wrong or off with Burlesque.Sometimes it's out of focus, the characters could have been more three-dimensional and its plot could have been more elaborate and original.Yet, "Burlesque" never fails to be entertaining and fun with occasionalfunny dialog, perfectly choreographed and directed dance and songnumbers with a blooming love story in the mix. And there's Cher! The aim of "Burlesque" is to provide the audience with a sense offeeling good about themselves, with an ease that is hard to express inwords. When the story calls for character moments, it's all very sweetand innocent, even if these people wouldn't want to be seen as such. Inone scene, Tess (Cher) discovers one of her dancers is pregnant (whichopens the door for Christina Aguilera's Ali to assume her place and lether star shine). Tess is a very tough woman, so you'd expect the poorgirl to be fired. Instead, Tess promises to take very good care of herand she has nothing to be afraid of.The kind of sweetness even penetrates the burlesque numbers (no punintended!). Even though they are very erotic and playful, there is nonudity to be found here. The women enjoy being on stage and dancingburlesque is just like any other job. When the working day is done,you'll go for pizza with your co-workers. The sweetness is all the more surprising, considering the temptation togo from respectable to pure sexual exposition. Even the one sex scenein the film is about cookies and where to get them, if you'll be in themood for a bite.It's just that sweet.

02 May 2012

Burlesque

This review is from: Burlesque (DVD) I love this movie. I thought the director did an excellent job combining the show tunes with everyday life and cannot understand why the movie got poor reviews for such a feel-good musical that I equate with Victor/Victoria and Funny Girl. I wish Cher's opening number, "Welcome to Burlesque" Tango could have been included in the special features. The story lines and quotes were great and memorable. One of my favorite quotes is at Ali's audition when Sean says to Tess..."I couldn't take my eyes off her" and Tess response, "try harder". Classic. My favorite dancer was the dancer with short black hair that she could twirl just as if it was two feet long. The only part of the movie that was distracting to me was the lighting a bit too neon where it was difficult to distinguish faces and background features.