Moulin Rouge!

A musical fairy tale about paying homage to the film century. The experience is, of course, deeper if one consciously perceives all the sources of inspiration. Viewers who only suspect something will only grope on the surface. The film features everything from de Toulouse-Lautrec, Méliès, Violetta, Monroe, Madonna, and Queen. Thank you, absinthe fairy. (02/04/2009)

In the first fifteen minutes or so I was already saying that it is unbearably over-styled, tasteless, bullshit… and wasn’t far from turning it off. But then – and I didn’t notice exactly when it happened – I realised how much I was enjoying it. I don’t think I ever had such a total change of opinion while watching a film. I can’t provide a sufficiently reasonable explanation why I’m giving five stars to this piece of kitsch, but I just can’t help it. (08/21/2009)

Tacky, overstylized, crazy and wild postmodern playfulness that you just can't resist. Moulin Rouge! won't let you catch your breath from the very beginning, you'll have to get used to the fast pace and you may find the humor insane at first, but if you stick with an open mind, there is a great chance that it will eventually completely absorb you, just like it did to me. The mix of humor, romance, and drama may come off as quite saccharine and fluctuating, but it worked for me. Moreover, what starts mainly as a comedy in the first half, turns into a truly powerful and intense drama in the second half, sealing the film's exceptionalism. The romantic story is not particularly original or revolutionary, but it is so perfectly executed that you simply forgive the various clichés and enjoy it, even if you've seen or read something similar before. I consider "Your Song" and "Elephant Love Medley" to be the musical highlights of the film. The chemistry between Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor is excellent and feels completely natural. My only major criticism would probably be that the viewer knows the outcome of the film from the beginning, and even though the ending is strong, it might have had an even stronger impact if we didn't know. Otherwise, it's a magical film that I will watch many times over. (10/08/2017)

Although the makers if this tried to remain on the brink of bearable and laughably bombastic kitsch soft porn, all too often this slips into a stupid, noisy (I don’t think there is one second of silence here or no scenes where someone isn’t jumping around, screaming, whistling etc.) patchwork full of cuts, certainly worthy of an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. However, once in a while it calms down and looks good, and so for instance during the tango or the live scene with Satine and Krystian, all of these criticisms move aside, because at these times Moulin Rouge is simply flawless. A shame that there aren’t more similarly powerful moments in this movie, but on the other hand there aren’t that few of them really. (12/28/2006)

Sometimes I tell myself that it's hardly possible for there to exist such a precisely balanced border between deafening noise and indescribable beauty. A highly romantic affair, in which a tremendous amount of tension lies hidden, led by my favorite film scene of all time: The hiding of the main couple, ingeniously built up to the perfect Because she doesn't love you! moment. The pinnacle of cinematography and the most emotionally captivating affair. Thank you, Mr. Luhrmann, for the best film I have ever seen. (12/23/2004)