Moulin Rouge!
Composite Score: 86.94
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, Garry McDonald, Jacek Koman, Matthew Whittet, and Kerry Walker
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Genres: Drama, Musical, Romance
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content
Box Office: $184.94 million worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
Moulin Rouge! is Baz Luhrmann’s jukebox musical about a Scottish writer who falls in love with a courtesan who dances at the titular cabaret in Paris in the late 1890s. It stars Nicole Kidman as the courtesan, Satine, and Ewan McGregor as the writer, Christian. It follows their romance as they seek to keep their love a secret from the villainous Duke (Richard Roxburgh), whose money is funding a stage production at the Moulin Rouge, written by Christian and starring Satine, the club’s owner Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), and Christian’s motley crew of Bohemian friends, which includes John Leguizamo’s Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The music is almost entirely covers of pop songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s blended with stylizations of the 1890s. The film’s most prominent original song, “Come What May,” was initially written for Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, which resulted in its snubbing from awards nominations when they rolled around. Nevertheless, the film did receive eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actress (Kidman) and wins for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It’s considered by most to be the divisive Australian auteur’s best film and has been celebrated for its daring, its performances, and its production design.
As with any Baz Luhrmann film, your enjoyment of it will be flavored by how much of his particular brand of filmmaking you can reasonably consume in a single sitting. Conveniently, the film clocks in just over two hours, nowhere near the length of his more notorious Australia, The Great Gatsby, or even Elvis, so his particular stylizations shouldn’t grate too intensely. All the same, Luhrmann’s style is certainly on full display here, not just in the selection of pop songs that populate the film, but in the production design, tone, and editing as well. Some will love the frenetic pace of the film’s first act as we are thrown into the world of the Moulin Rouge along with Christian, witnessing song and dance at an intense level, while others will prefer the film’s middle act with its intrigues and romance kicked off by a fantastic musical number by McGregor and Kidman at the transition between the two acts, and still, others won’t be satisfied until they reach the tragic but celebratory finale, complete with a massive stage performance and declarations of love. Those who love the director and his work will recognize his hallmarks present throughout the film and no doubt love each of these almost disparate acts, while those less inclined toward his style will probably pick and choose what to like about it.
Still, the performances by Kidman and McGregor in Moulin Rouge! are undeniably great with Kidman’s even earning an Oscar nomination (fully deserved given the range of tones and characterizations she exhibits throughout). Looking at that year’s Best Actor nominees, it’s hard to see where Ewan McGregor could have fit in (though in hindsight refusing to nominate Sean Penn for I Am Sam wouldn’t have been the worst choice the Academy’s ever made). Still, without either of their performances, the film wouldn’t hit its highs quite as highly. Kidman is the heart and soul of the film, just as her character is the heart and soul of the Moulin Rouge, carrying the film’s emotional and thematic beats as we watch Satine’s doomed pursuit of love and success in the underworld. Likewise, though, her story could not exist without a strong Christian across from her, and McGregor is fantastic as the romantic lead, evolving from true hopeless romantic to committed Bohemian to despondent lover as the film unfolds. It’s an earnest performance that works within Luhrmann’s film and probably improves it because of how committed and honest McGregor is in the role.
Though not everyone will get the same mileage out of it, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! is a delight of a musical, complete with big numbers, catchy tunes, strong production value, and two romantic leads that fit the film’s needs perfectly all working in harmony to prove the film’s place among the Greatest Films of All Time. Again, Luhrmann’s style is certainly an acquired taste, but of his films, this is certainly the most approachable and universally enjoyable, so if you’re looking for the place to start, this is the one. Currently you can stream this film on Peacock if you’d like to check it out for yourself.
