Customer Reviews

Nine [Blu-ray]

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1 star:		(20)

 

 

I am a little upset with people who are fans of musicals. There isn't enough product to satisfy our desire and when a very good example of this genre is released, we stay away in droves. I simply don't understand why "Nine", the new musical, not to be confused with "9", the recent animated film from Tim Burton, s getting pretty unanimously bad critical reviews. I don't understand why fans of the genre are staying away.

Directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago"), "Nine" is an adaptation of a very successful Broadway musical adapted from the Fellini film "8 ½". The film contains some very good performances and some amazing vocals and dancing from actors I didn't know could sing or dance. Add to that a beautiful and romantic period setting and you have a film that is a fitting companion piece to "Chicago".

Are fans of this genre waiting for the next Gene Kelly or Fred Astaire? Is that why they are staying away? Do you secretly desire "An American in Paris II" or a remake of "Singin' In The Rain"? That won't happen (I pray to God). As we continue to evolve and our tastes become more modern, the genres we love have to adapt and change along with us. For a long period of time, the only musicals we could see on the big screen were animated. Many of these were great and provided an avenue for talented people. Then, Baz Luhrmann managed to convince 20th Century Fox to let him make "Moulin Rouge". "Chicago", "Mamma Mia", "Hairspray" and more than a few films that should be forgotten followed this. A lot of people didn't like "Moulin Rouge" because of the frantic visual style. I loved it. "Chicago" is a bit more traditional than "Moulin Rouge", allowing the viewer to get involved in the story and characters because they take a moment (every so often) to breath. Now Marshall follows this success with "Nine".

Rome, the 60s. Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis), a very successful Italian film director is experiencing writer's block after two of his films have flopped. This is unfortunate because his longtime producer is practically forcing him to make his new film. They have a title, "Italia" and are convinced it will star Claudia Messina (Nicole Kidman), Contini's longtime muse. Even his confidant, and confessor, his longtime costume designer, Lilli (Judi Dench) knows he is having trouble, but she does her best to provide support and a nudge when needed. A set is in production on a huge soundstage at Cincecitta, but Guido is experiencing a midlife crisis and can't come up with anything to write about. When the pressure becomes too great, he runs off to a spa on the Italian peninsula and hides there, trying to escape everyone and everything. He calls his wife, Luisa (Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose") and tells her he will be home in a few days. Then he calls his mistress, Carla (Penelope Cruz) and gets her installed in a nearby penzione. When his production team and producer show up at the spa, what was supposed to be rest quickly becomes a working holiday and continues to stress out the famous director. Instead, he begins to remember all of the women in his life and with each memory, comes a new musical number and an equally amusing performance by one of the ladies.

I really liked a lot about what "Nine" is trying to do. Unfortunately, I also think many of the things I like are also the same things keeping people away from the multiplex.

As Guido deals with his writer's block and all of the complications of his life, he begins to remember back to each of the important women in his life and their various influences in shaping who he has become. There are some references to Guido's history with women and the sheer number of sexual partners seems to be large, but there are certain women in his life who are important and he remembers each with fondness. As the memories flood back, Marshall begins to cut some of the most beautiful footage I have seen in a long time into the story, providing us with a biographical glimpse into the director's life. He remembers back to his childhood when he paid a loose woman to show off her private parts to a group of children. This is told through black and white footage and shows the boys running across an Italian beach. When the woman comes out of her hut, "Be Italian" begins and the story cuts back and forth from the footage at the beach to a full-blown musical number featuring singer Fergie (from the Black Eyed Peas) as Saraghina. As the musical number progresses, you begin to realize Saraghina and the many other women in the number are actually on the soundstage back in the studio in Rome, it's iconic roman arches ever present. Yet, the singers are sitting on wooden chairs and flinging sand around. It is a visually striking musical number and quickly establishes how the film will unfold.

Not only do we start to get a feeling for Guido's life leading up to this crisis, we also realize he is, in fact, remembering things that will eventually make it into the film he has to make next. His memories are showing him his next film, guiding him through the narrative before he writes it.

Later, when Carla (Cruz) arrives at the Spa, she sings the song "Guido, Guido, Guido"; cavorting around in an outfit Victoria's Secret would be smart to copy. Carla is deeply in love with Guido and dances using pink velvet ropes and silk.

Judi Dench is surprisingly good when her turn comes. As a major influence in Guido's life, he turns to her for support, guidance, a stern word when needed. She reveals a lot about her background as a fashion designer when she sings the song "Folies Bergere", about her early life designing costumes for the racy nightclub in Paris. Dancers in costumes reminiscent of the popular Parisian show dance around the same Roman arches.

Kate Hudson is also very good as Stephanie, a young American journalist in Rome writing about the director for a magazine. She follows Guido to the spa and flirts with him, the sexual tension increasing exponentially. This footage is intercut with Hudson and a slew of dancers performing "Cinema Italiano", which is, I believe, the one new number written for the film. The musical segment is a lot of fun, very fast paced and done as a tribute to the 60s. Hudson seems to be channeling some of her mom's early persona in the performance.

Marian Cotillard and Nicole Kidman are the two most personal female relationships in his life, so their numbers are more introspective and romantic.

Sophia Loren plays Mamma and it is great to see her on screen as Guido's conscience. But her musical number is least successful because she doesn't appear to be as good a singer or as comfortable singing. It is more of the "talking lyrically" type of song people generally do when they can't do a real musical number.

Overall, the musical numbers are very good. Will they be memorable enough to be remembered in a decade? Two? Three? Will Robert Osborne's clone talk about the film one day on Turner Movie Classics? I don't know. But they are fun to watch.

This is one of those films set in a very specific place where everyone has a different accent. This aspect of the film reminded me a bit of the big budget films produced in the late 50s and early 60s, the type filled with an International cast to ensure box office success around the world. Daniel Day Lewis' Italian accent is impressive and even more impressive, he sings in the accent. Nicole Kidman does an okay job playing the Italian movie star. Marian Cotillard restrains her French accent and seems to be going for a more American sound. Penelope Cruz is just herself. Strangely, Judi Dench doesn't attempt any accent other than her normal voice and her character is French. Altogether, a bit of a strange hodgepodge. I guess it's better for some to not even attempt an accent if they can't do one. Hearing the actor's normal voice helps you forget they should have an accent. If they did a bad one, you'd never hear past it.

Daniel Day Lewis is very good as Guido. At every moment, you can see and feel the world crashing in on him. Forced to attend a news conference to announce the new film, he tries to joke, to flirt, to laugh, all in an effort to hide the fact he hasn't written one word of the script yet. He basically has no idea what the new film should be about. When members of the press get close to unveiling the truth, he flees to the spa.

When he is presented with the opportunity to make a change in life, he seems close to taking these leaps, but ultimately the change seems to hard for him and he reverts back to normal. This only serves to drive his crisis.

I think it is brave of Day-Lewis to take on this role. We have never seen him sing or dance before and he does a good job with the singing. When he breaks out into song, he retains his accent, never letting it falter.

Either his dancing wasn't up to the task, or his musical numbers just weren't designed to involve elaborate dance moves. His dancing resembles what kids would do on a jungle gym on the playground. Hoe holds onto bars and swings around them in large, lazy circles and slides his feet around.

The film is set in Italy in the mid 60s. This gives the film a beautiful look; everything appears romantic and almost fantasy like.

If you're a fan of the genre, I hope you will make an effort to see this film. If we don't support these works, Hollywood will stop making them. I can already tell you the names of two producers who will most likely never produce another musical again.

NINE

STARRING: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Stacy Ferguson

WRITTEN BY: Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella; based on the Broadway musical "Nine" by Arthur Kopit, Maury Yeston and Mario Fratti

DIRECTED BY: Rob Marshall

Rated: PG - 13
Genre: Musical / Drama
Release Date: 25 December 2009



If Nine wasn't one of the ten best films of 2009, it sure was close. I'm not a big fan of musicals in general, but if a film is good, then it's good. Rob Marshal, the Academy Award nominated director of Chicago, has created another unique and glorious musical with a banging soundtrack.

Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Guido Contini. He's a guy who isn't very optimistic despite having Marion Cotillard for a wife and Penelope Cruz for a mistress. He is a successful filmmaker and is having trouble producing the material for his latest film. But due to his accredited past, he is able to have an entire production put into motion without even so much as a rough copy of a screenplay.

The film opens with a huge musical number that was not the least bit cheap. We meet all the leading ladies, and Guido. These leading ladies consist of Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Judie Dench, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren and Stacy Ferguson (aka `Fergie' for you MTV folks).

They are all leading ladies in Hollywood and the characters they portray are leading ladies in the mind and or life of Guido. Sophia Loren is his mother, Judi Dench is his costume designer, Nicole Kidman is his friend as well as a famous actress, and Stacy Ferguson plays a seductive woman of his past that he found attractive at a very young age.

The reason for the huge musical number is to show us that Guido is a man who is constantly fantasizing about these various women in several different ways. Each one of them performs an amazing song at some point in the film; usually, if not always, taking place in Guido's mind.

Guido sulks around the frame throughout the film, living off utter moments of happiness that fade away within seconds. At one moment Penelope Cruz's character does it for him, but then he loses interest and it's Kate Hudson who has his attention. His wife even manages to catch his eye for a brief moment, but it's more than anything the fact that she's enraged with his having an affair, that he finds appealing. He's a poor sap indeed, but Lewis plays him magnificently. If you have seen Lewis in even one other film, then I don't need to tell you how talented he is.

Kate Hudson is in the film for a very short time, but blew me out of my seat nonetheless. She shows a side of herself that I have never seen before, that reminded me partially of her mother (Goldie Hawn) and something else completely unknown. I can't believe that she was not nominated for her performance. As if that's not bad enough, her beautiful song `Italian Cinema' was snubbed out of a nomination to boot. Why was this overlooked? I can't be alone in thinking it was spectacular.

I can see how Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench were all able to walk away without an Oscar nomination. Not that they weren't great, but we know what to expect from them; they are three of the most talented people acting today. But how did Marion Cotillard go unnoticed?

She was magnificent as Guido's emotionally neglected wife. There is a scene near the end of the film where she has come to the realization that he is not the man she thought he was when they married. He looks at her and sees this written across her face, and it is very powerful stuff. Her songs were extraordinary and one of them received an Oscar nomination.

Stacy Ferguson doesn't really do much acting in the film, but her song `Be Italian' was very enjoyable to watch and could have very easily been nominated for an Oscar as well.

It's almost offensive that out of all the incredible actors in Nine, Penelope Cruz was the only one to receive an Oscar nomination. I think she's a pretty good actress overall; but up against Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman and especially Marion Cotillard and Kate Hudson; Cruz falls miserably behind in this film. All of the other actors brought far more to the table than she did. It's bad enough she already won last year for her mediocre performance in Vicky Christina Barcelona. Sometimes, I just don't get the get the Academy Awards.

I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO THE BAD REVIEWS ABOUT THIS EXCELLENT MUSICAL SINCE IT WAS RELEASED. ROB MARSHALL'S CONCEPTION OF THIS BROADWAY MUSICAL IS BRILLIANT. WE ARE NOT SUPPOSE TO KNOW ANYTHING MORE ABOUT THE WOMEN IN DANIEL DAY LEWIS' LIFE. JUST THAT THEY WERE PART OF HIS LIFE AS HE GREW TO MANHOOD. NO DIFFERENT THAN THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL. MARSHALL EFFORTLESSLY INTEGRATES THE SONGS WITH THE DRAMA. EVERY NUMBER AND I MEAN EVERY NUMBER IS A SHOWSTOPPER AND STAGED AS ONLY MARSHALL COULD DO. THIS IS A FIRST RATE MOTION PICTURE AND I THINK IT'S BEEN UNJUSTLY IGNORED BY THE PUBLIC AND THE CRITICS. IT STANDS ALONE AS IT'S OWN ENTITY AND CAN NOT BE COMPARED WITH CHICAGO WHICH IN IT'S OWN BRILLIANT COMMERCIAL WAY IS ALSO A CLASSIC.
NINE IS A COMPLICATED AND HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED MUSICAL THAT WASN'T MEANT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. THE PICTURE BELONGS TO DANIEL DAY LEWIS NOT TO THE WOMEN IN HIS LIFE.
MAURY YESTON HAS WRITTEN A FANTASTIC SCORE AND COMBINED WITH ROB MARSHALL'S DIRECTION IT FAR SURPASSES THE ACTUAL BROADWAY SHOW. I LOVED THIS FILM AND CAN NOT WAIT TO OWN THE DVD. BY THE WAY, NICOLE KIDMAN JUST HAPPENS TO SING ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING SONGS, (UNUSUAL WAY), WRITTEN BY YESTON AND DRAMATICALLY PERFORMS THE SONG TO PERFECTION. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SEPARATE THE SONG FROM THE DIALOGUE. CUDOS TO MARSHALL!!!!

This is one of the best films I have seen in years. The acting is superb. Fellini would be proud. The structure of the film is spellbinding, and the end made me want to stand and applaud.

I really enjoyed this movie, thought it flowed well. I loved the "Be Italian" number-Fergie was amazing!! This movie is nowhere near as bad as many folks have said....It is a sexy musical and no more lurid than any other movie produced these days...

I don't remember ever being so mesmerized by a film. Every second you are dazzled by the energy and imagery. I actually had to take a deep breath when the credits rolled because I'd been so caught up I had been semi holding my breath the whole time. Why this didn't totally sweep the awards is beyond me.

Daniel Day Lewis already played this part. Back in 1988 he starred in The Unbearable Lightness of Being, another film about a detached womanizer attempting to make some kind of existential sense out of his chaotic modern life. In that film Day Lewis's character desires two very different kinds of lives. On the one hand, he desires a life of lightness and he cultivates a no-strings-attached ethos that allows him to move in and out of other people's lives without any kind of commitment or complication; and, on the other hand, he fears the weightlessness of this itinerant existence and so he is slowly drawn into a long-term attachment that lends his life a weight that it otherwise lacks. He moves from one extreme to another, but ultimately finds no satisfactory way to reconcile his competing desires. The book, written by Milan Kundera, and the film, directed by Philip Kaufman, are comic and tragic in equal measures. I would recommend The Unbearable Lightness of Being as an alternative to Nine as it really explores the same themes in a much more satisfying way.

As for Nine, it's a big tease.

I'm a big fan of Fellini and art film maestros in general, and I'm also a big fan of Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz (two of the finest actresses of world cinema). I also happen to be a fan of Daniel Day Lewis (perhaps the finest actor of the last thirty years). So, despite heavy suspicion about this project (a musical version of Fellini's mysterious and moody surreal self-portrait 8 1/2 ?), I had at least four compelling reasons to see this film. Unfortunately, everything that is good about the film (the Fellini references and quotes, the aura of Cinecitta, the excitement of several rare talents working together on a potentially larger-than-life project) is compromised by everything that is second-rate (the loud and gaudy in-your-face musical assaults that feel more like homages to Tom Jones or the Pussycat Dolls than they do to Fellini, the tedious early sixties men's magazine caricatures of women as nothing more than lingerie models, the lame song titles & lyrics.)

The original 8 1/2 was at times a dialogue between Fellini's private reality and his various publics, and at other times a lyrical soliloquy--it was a profound statement about self and cinema. Although it was Marcello Mastroianni onscreen it was understood that the thoughts and fantasies were Fellini's. In Nine, however, Daniel Day Lewis is simply pretending to be a maestro but we never feel like Rob Marshall is saying much of anything through the character. The point of the original 8 1/2 was to examine artistic, identity, and social crisis in post-War Italy and the film is powerful because it documents crisis albeit in an often charming and alluring way. In Nine, Rob Marshall re-creates the look of 8 1/2 but not the feel of it nor the content of it. Rob Marshall is less interested in and does not attempt to convey the substance of Fellini's universe; what excites him is not really Fellini but Italian style. The whole film therefore feels like one of those Vanity Fair fashion spreads where fashion models strut nostalgically down memory lane in period dress. Casting Daniel Day Lewis was an inspired move because Daniel Day Lewis brings to the film something that Marshall lacks: artistic depth & credibility. And admittedly it is exciting seeing Day Lewis attempt to play an Italian director. Day Lewis is certainly very good at showing what artistic and personal crisis look and feel like; however, we never get a sense of him as a visionary director and so it's very difficult to accept him, the consumate actor, as Fellini, the consumate director. Fellini succeeded when he allowed us to accompany him as he transformed fantasies into realities and realities into fantasies. But here, on the Nine set, there is no auteur at work. The whole thing feels more like a folly than an artistic production. In 8 1/2 Fellini viewed filmmaking as an expensive folly but the miracle of that film was that out of all that folly came art. In Nine the folly never crystallizes into anything nor does it seem to be trying to: Day Lewis seems to have a good time exploiting the absurdity of the situation (he and Cruz work especially well together), and Marshall seems to enjoy tranforming a Fellini movie into Fosse movie. I suppose you could say this craziness is admirable, in a way. 8 1/2 may have inspired the original stage production but the similarities are ultimately more cosmetic than thematic. Marshall is obviously less interested in Fellini or art than he is in extravaganza and spectacle and getting away with spending other people's money (and using other people's ideas) so as far as he is concerned all that Day Lewis has to do is prowl around the sets like a trapped cat (in Italian suits and sunglasses) and he's got what he wants. When he's prowling or speeding around dodging paparazzi in his white sports car Day Lewis is an asset (and Marshall's idea of an artist); when he's singing, however, he's a liability. It's not a great performance nor even a very interesting one (it doesn't capture the imagination in the way that Cate Blanchett's Bob Dylan did a few years ago). 8 1/2 revived Fellini's career, Nine may end Marshall's; but no one can say Day Lewis doesn't look good in black suits with skinny ties.

Cotillard is the best thing about this film--both Cotillard the actress and the character that she plays in the film seem like the real visionary if by visionary we mean the one who sees and shares what they see. She's the one with voice and vision and talent to burn. When she is onscreen the film has voice and vision and soul. The problem is there is far too little of her.

If director Rob Marshall's intention was to make all of the scenes without Marion Cotillard seem superficial, and, yes, directionless, then he succeeds brilliantly.

Fergie brings the raw heat she is famous for; Penelope Cruz is brilliant as a mistress with multiple dimensions; Kate Hudson is convincing as a reporter who uses her sex kitten charms to get what she wants; Nicole Kidman delivers as a film icon weary of the icon game but all of these cameos feel like nothing more than that. All of these women are aware of themselves, they all know who they are and what they want. They are sexually free yet dependent on Guido (or at least in Guido's fantasy world they are all dependent on Guido). Why Guido Contini wants all of these women is no mystery, but why they should all want or need him is.

Each of the actresses emit momentary sparks, but only Cotillard generates and sustains any kind of heat that lasts for more than a song and dance number.

Like many Broadway musicals, this one feels more like a batch of loosely affiliated songs randomly flung together than a tightly plotted narrative with any real force. The allure of Fellini is that, however fantastic, the plots always seem natural; the films seem to have a life, an energy, a momentum and a spirit all their own. In Marshall's film however the plot feels contrived for obvious reasons (the film's a remake of a musical that is itself a remake of a film). Some postmodern irony --ie Marshall acknowledging that he is re-making someone else's autobiographical film--or some kind of explanation/rationalization as to why a classic art film would benefit from the addition of musical numbers might have helped matters a bit (although if it were done well I suppose we wouldn't need to ask). I kept thinking, hoping the musical numbers would be moments when the women asserted their own individuality, but (Cotillard's character excepted) most of these women do not want to assert their independence from Guido Contini any more than Rob Marshall wants to assert his independence from the stage show format/formula (that worked in Chicago but doesn't work here) which is the only guiding force at work here, and that's a problem that this film never finds a way to address.

Fellini treated glamour (i.e. style, film magic) as a kind of momentary or pretend grace, but it was never presented as a substitute for the real thing--hence there is always an existential void gnawing away at his characters; I think Rob Marshall is trying to do the same thing--find momentary grace in art--but, although some of the individual performances are as graceful as anything found in a Fellini (or a Fosse) film, the film itself lacks any style or grace or vision of its own.

I kinda knew that someone made at some point a musical about Fellini's 8&1/2, but by the time I went to the theater to see 9, I totally forgot about it. It took me one minute to realize what this movie was about, as the Maestro was given access into one of the sets of Cinecittá and the lights and the voices and the muses started to light-up the place. From there on, it was total bliss: this was all about 8&1/2.

Rob Marshall has done a truly outstanding job at capturing the essence of Federico Fellini's 8 & 1/2 conflicts and dreamy visions. He has made a movie that has always been hard to follow accessible, yet at the same time, the his approach to the musical has given this classic a fresh, interesting and highly engaging approach. The camera work is beautiful; for instance, the grainy black and white treatment given to the "Cinema Italiano" piece is quite simply a delight to watch, truly reminiscent of the Italian movies from the Fifties, their unquestionable Golden Age. The acting is truly amazing, especially Marion Cotillard (hard to understand why she was not considered for an Oscar).

I am in total disbelief at the cold reception by critics, and deeply annoyed by all the snobs' comments about how this movie does not stack up to 8 & 1/2; c'mon, give me a break! How many of those pseudo-connoiseurs stayed awake through 8 & 1/2? Don't get me wrong: 8 & 1/2 is in my opinion one of the top 5 movies of all time, certainly the crown jewel of Italian cinema and Fellini's unquestionable masterpiece, the movie every director has lifted from, and tried to imitate unsuccessfully, ever since. And yet, it takes a lot of pedaling to absorb it, to make sense of it, and yes, to enjoy it. Marshall managed to retain all key elements -this movie really stays true to the original- and managed to come through with a final product that while being highly entertaining and visually arresting, invites us to reflect about middle age crisis, women in all their facets, the fear of failure, and everything that we learned wrong as we grew up. I highly recommend this movie to anyone in love with movies, with women and without intellectual insecurities. More so, I recommend it to anyone who appreciates the great, unforgettable work of Federico Fellini and Giulietta Massina.

I'm going to set some ground rules here for my review. First of all, I am a HUGE fan of Federico Fellini. I consider his masterpiece, `8 ½', to be one of the best films ever made; ever. When `Nine' was being hyped as this great piece of musical cinema I was skeptical. How can they make `8 ½' a musical? I mean, I knew that it had been done (on the stage) but it just seemed very, very wrong. Besides, casts that wet with talent usually fall the pieces. In fact, at the beginning of last year I boldly predicted that this (along with `The Lovely Bones') was going to be a big flop. I was kind of right on both calls.

With all that in mind, I walked into `Nine' with really no expectations other than disappointment. Since I was expecting disappointment I knew that I really couldn't be too disappointed. All this film had to do was suck royally and it would pretty much meet my expectations.

It doesn't suck.

One thing that I will say, and many will debate me on this, is that Rob Marshall knows how to make a musical. I actually really appreciate the way he crafts the musical scenes in his films. By distancing the songs from the actual film itself, segregating them for sound stages that resemble the theater, he gives them credibility and a certain seductiveness that I really adore. The camp quality of the musical is stripped away to reveal something rather enthralling. I noticed this with `Chicago'. While overall both films suffer in some areas and wind up a tad uneven and overwrought, both films are undeniably lavish and eye-catching. `Nine' is one of the most beautifully staged, beautifully edited, beautifully costumed, beautifully filmed films of 2009.

Sadly, this film falters in some key areas.

Any fan of Fellini's masterpiece will notice that the films focus seems to be shifted. I have never seen the stage musical, so I'm not sure if that was something done from the beginning or something done for this film adaptation alone, but I found the central theme to be altered. After watching `8 ½', I walked away understanding the conflicted mind of the visionary. You have a director who struggles to stay true to himself and complete something he is proud of while battling those around him trying to condition him to their own needs and wants. Sure, he is selfish, but so is everyone else. `Nine' seems to disregard the artistic side of Fellini's story and mainly focuses on Guido's affairs with the women in his life. Because of this shift, the film loses some of its credibility because it starts to appear common. There is nothing special about a story of a philandering husband who chases tail every chance he gets.

There needed to be that something deeper here.

When you separate the films source from the actual product, there is little to chastise though. I am not the biggest supporter of Daniel Day-Lewis. I find him (like Denzel Washington and or Tom Hanks) to be ridiculously overrated. That said, I loved the first half of his performance here. He was fun and fresh and exiting and funny and charming and it was just superb. Granted, the second half tended to become a little one note and uninteresting, but that first half was simply flawless. In fact, the entire cast works rather well. Judi Dench and Marion Cotillard (who should have received the Oscar nomination over Penelope Cruz) are the standouts for me. Cotillard especially is ridiculously astonishing here, selling every ounce of pure emotion with her musical numbers. Both numbers are key moments in the film, and she really is the ONLY one here who understood how to act while singing (take that Jennifer Hudson). Dench is witty and charming and delightful. Cruz is very good, but her one big number falls very flat for me. Hudson's performance is enticing, but her musical number is so overly obnoxious I was kind of disgusted. Loren and Kidman don't have a lot to do, and Kidman's voice has trouble pushing through some of her notes, but they don't take anything away from the film (in fact, Loren adds a little class that I really enjoyed, especially when you consider how raunchy the film can get).

And Fergie...let me just say that her number was AMAZING!

In the end I have to admit that I liked this film more than I ever imagined possible. It is flawed, but it is also a lot of fun. I give it a solid B, and I'm very happy with that. Cotillard is astonishing, Day-Lewis is in rare form, Dench is delightfully snappy and the costumes, cinematography, set pieces, film editing and choreography all come together to create a visual feast that proves very appealing.

Story 4 star-female performances 5 star. The extensive bonus material explains the casting preceded the writing. It makes the musical. The 7 female leads each have a musical production number and they fit the actress/singer to the 'NINES'. Each actress' ability is emphasized by the music, writing, and character. Some B/W segments blend into the production aesthetically.

Director Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) apparently is also the writer and has 10 days to get a script and begin filming the already promoted film "Italia". His last 2 films were flops. his life is in a flop--complicated by 7 women in his life. It appears he's been naughty with all of them but his mother (Sophia Loren) & costume designer (Dame Judi Dench).

Other lady stars are: wife Louisa (Marion Cotillard), married mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz), Contini's film star Claudia (Nicole Kidman-strutting her music/dance talent), Vogue journalist Stephanie (Kate Hudson), and child-early lady experience Saraghina (Stacy Ferguson). Contini's immoral lifestyle is causing his artistic creativeness to go stale. His life is as close to the brink of disaster as his career. At Anzio, Italy's Bellavista get-away hotel he struggles with his actions, meaning in life, and mid-life crisis. Pressure is on, coming from his producer and cluster of women. He has a line of love for each. they don't see the insincerity--or do they, finally?

Will the ladies finally show him the pathetic, greedy, selfish, destructive, out of control person he has become? From the male perspective, Daniel Day-Lewis, as Contini, was the BIG winner, acting the lover to all these 'frothy hot' babes.

Larger than life production music & dance numbers highlight each of the 7 women in Contini's life. Each number takes on the appearance of a live musical stage show production. Fantastic settings and costumes. this film received dozens of award nominations and wins.

There is a huge assortment of bonus material as interesting as the feature.
'NINE' gets 9-out-of-10 which equals 4 1/2 Amazon stars, which means worth the purchase, or at least rental.