Burlesque (2010) Online

2010 Cher Christina Aguilera Alan Cumming Steve Antin

Original Title :: Burlesque
Genre :: Movie / Drama / Music / Musical / Romance
Year :: 2010
Directror :: Steve Antin
Cast :: Cher,Christina Aguilera,Alan Cumming
Writer :: Steve Antin
Budget :: $55,000,000
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 59min
Rating :: 6.4/10

A small-town girl ventures to Los Angeles and finds her place in a neo-burlesque club run by a former dancer.

Burlesque (2010) Online

The Burlesque Lounge has its best days behind it. Tess, a retired dancer and owner of the venue, struggles to keep the aging theater alive, facing all kinds of financial and artistic challenges. With the Lounge's troupe members becoming increasingly distracted by personal problems and a threat coming from a wealthy businessman's quest to buy the spot from Tess, the good fortune seems to have abandoned the club altogether. Meanwhile, the life of Ali, a small-town girl from Iowa, is about to change dramatically. Hired by Tess as a waitress at the Lounge, Ali escapes a hollow past and quickly falls in love with the art of burlesque. Backed by newfound friends amongst the theater's crew, she manages to fulfill her dreams of being on stage herself. Things take a dramatic turn though when Ali's big voice makes her become the main attraction of the revue.

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Cher	-	Tess
	Christina Aguilera	-	Ali
	Eric Dane	-	Marcus
	Cam Gigandet	-	Jack
	Julianne Hough	-	Georgia
	Alan Cumming	-	Alexis
	Peter Gallagher	-	Vince
	Kristen Bell	-	Nikki
	Stanley Tucci	-	Sean
	Dianna Agron	-	Natalie
	Glynn Turman	-	Harold Saint
	David Walton	-	Mark the DJ
	Terrence Jenkins	-	Dave
	Chelsea Traille	-	Coco
	Tanee McCall	-	Scarlett

The photo of seven-year-old Ali with her mother is actually a photo of a much younger Christina Aguilera with her real-life mother, Shelly Kearns.

Cher performed "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" completely live.

Most of the flamboyant costumes worn by Cher were her own clothes, some of which were designed by her longtime friend Bob Mackie (interview on The Graham Norton Show (2007) / 18 Dec. 2010).

Surprisingly, this is Cher's first musical film.

Cam Gigandet learned how to play the piano especially for the film.

Steve Antin got the idea for this film after watching Christina Aguilera perform as a featured vocalist for The Pussycat Dolls in 2002.

Christina Aguilera's first choice for the role of Nikki was Emma Stone.

Tess asks Sean what happened to all the good dancers in LA, to which he responds Dancing with the Stars (2005). Their cast mate on this film, Julianne Hough, is one of the professional dancers on the Emmy-Winning show.

With a budget of $55 million, Burlesque is one of Screen Gems' most expensive films outside of the Resident Evil franchise.

Robert Pattinson, Kellan Lutz, Taylor Lautner were considered to play Jack, before the role went to fellow Twilight star Cam Gigandet.

The first instrumental Ali dances to during her audition is the background music from "Nasty Naughty Boy," performed by Christina Aguilera. This tune was replaced in the DVD version.

Cher says that this was the worst film she had ever done and criticized her performance in the movie.

Cher revealed that, other than herself, the oldest girl in the cast was just 32 (interview with Charlie Stayt on BBC's Breakfast (2000) / 17 Dec. 2010).

Patrick Dempsey, Sam Worthington, Casey Affleck, and Jamie Foxx were considered to play Marcus.

After Ali's debut as the lead, she asks Jack what he thinks about her outfit. When he stumbles over words, she says "Jack, we're friends for Christ's sake. It's not like we're brother and sister," to which Jack replies "No, we certainly are not." These lines are modern inspired by Jane Austen's novel "Emma," when Mr. Knightley asks Emma to dance and she says "Indeed, I will. You have shown that you can dance, and you know we are not really so much brother and sister as to make it improper," to which Mr. Knightley replies "Brother and sister! - no indeed."

In a previous film, Cam Gigandet played a bully who constantly referred to a fellow character as "Iowa." Here, that is his character's nickname for Ali.

When Jack first plays his piano in his apartment, he is playing an instrumental of 'Bound to You' - a song which Ali later sings in the show.

Dianna Agron shot her scenes in just one afternoon.

Shipped to theaters under the code name "Former Glory".

WILHELM SCREAM: Occurs in the last seconds of the final number, "Show Me How You Burlesque". This is the last sound heard as the screen blacks out and the film ends.

Christina Aguilera's "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" fantasy was the first scene shot.

Jessica Biel and Lindsay Lohan were considered for the role of Nikki.

The Golden Globes drew a lot of adverse criticism when they announced their 2010 nominations as two of the year's most critically derided films - Burlesque and The Tourist (2010) - both were nominated for Best Film Musical or Comedy. A press freebie to Las Vegas to watch Cher perform organized by Screen Gems was generally credited with the film's erroneous nomination.

Most of the stand-ins for the female dancers in the performances of the Burlesque club were actually former members of The Pussycat Dolls, the Las Vegas burlesque-troupe-turned-pop-group (uncredited through)

Cher's first film appearance since her cameo in Stuck on You (2003).

This is the second movie with Stanley Tucci where he provides the lead character with new clothing and a makeover which leads to a montage backed by Madonna music. The first movie is The Devil Wears Prada (2006), when Tucci's character Nigel gives Anne Hathaway' a makeover, followed by a montage set to "Vogue."

Stanley Tucci's character smokes in most of his scenes at The Burlesque Lounge, including in the front of the house.

Stephen Lee's last film.

The soundtrack album features ten tracks: eight performed by Aguilera including "Express"; and two performed by Cher which are her first original recordings in 7 years.

In the United States, the soundtrack was certified Gold by the RIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies in October 2011.

The DVD and Blu-ray sales exceed one million units and have grossed $20,563,918 in the United States alone. The DVD has sold over 1.4 million units in the United States. Overall, it has grossed over $30,053,366 on video sales (DVD and Blu-ray sales) in United States alone.

Both Diablo Cody and Susannah Grant did rewrites of Steve Antin's script.

Paula van Oppen, former member of the girl group G.R.L, plays one of the burlesque dancers, Anna.

Patron Tequila product placement in several scenes. The brand also featured in classic Dirty Love (2005), starring Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra.

Cher and Christina Aguilera contributed to the soundtrack album, with Aguilera contributing eight out of the 10 songs and Cher taking the remaining two.

Started shooting on November 9, 2009 and ended on March 3, 2010.

The soundtrack includes a mix of original and cover songs.

Cam Gigandet and Peter Gallagher both previously starred on the television series, The OC. Cam as Kevin Volchok and Peter as Sandy Cohen.

In the scene where Nikki is singing about a dentist, the song is "Long John Blues" sung by Megan Mullally.

User reviews

YSOP

The musical numbers reminded me of "Sweet Charity" and the camera moves around the Kit Kat Klub style room like Fosse's camera did in "Cabaret" The similarities stop there. The film is a brave attempt but the writing walks a very, very thin line. Was Steve Antin trying to be funny? Some of the lines were received with loud guffaws and there is no way to know if that was the intention because, personally, I felt like cringing. Never mind. It was fun. Christina has a powerful voice but not film presence and Cher is a fearless icon but she had so little to show for it. The best performance is, without question, by Stanley Tucci. The songs work at the moment you're watching them being performed but I couldn't hum a tune now, 48 hours later, for the life of me. So, I was entertained and in the big scheme of things, I guess that's enough

BORZOTA

At times I can be a bit snobby about movies. I am more attracted to slow artsy fartsy movies that try make grand points about society or existence. However, not all movies are to meant to challenge social structures or deliver underlying meanings and here there certainly is none of that.... and I liked it!

Burlesque is a little cheesy, yup, filled with clichés, uh huh, predictable, you betcha! That is all part of it's charm though. It set out to be a fun romp with some sexy outfits and entertaining song numbers and it delivered. There is no great villain, there is no great backstabbing - which in someways is more realistic. It doesn't try to have an overly deep plot. It knows it's superficial and embraces it. Did anyone ever doubt Christina could sing? Her voice is amazing and her acting ain't bad either. Cher is well, Cher and how can anyone not love her? Stanley Tucci certainly steals the show while Cam Gigandet provides some delicious eye candy. If you want to be visually and audibly entertained for about an hour and a half, shut your brain off, sit back and enjoy Burlesque. Disclaimer: this recommendation does not pertain to men, unless you are a man of the Cher-loving variety. Despite a burlesque club technically being a 'strip club' this movie is certainly geared for the ladies.

Hunaya

Burlesque may have started out as a dazzling, lip-sync singing French twist sensation but when a talented girl from a small town takes center stage belching out loud piercing notes screaming with soul, "You know something got a hold of you and won't let go."

The director starts out with scenes in dingy, crusty locations, overshadowed with filtered sunlight to create an outdated, old fashion look. These scenes failed to capture a unique cinematic vision, instead the views were dark and dull. His blend of melodrama and music worked better than Chicago because singing was sung only on stage. No phantom of the opera to bring tears, just a busting out movie that went straight to the point--I want to sing!

Ms small town girl named Ali, played by Christina Aguilera, changed cities but couldn't quite change her waitress uniform. She worked her way to that familiar job, when charmed by neon lights, she opened the door to a new world, Welcome to Burlesque. As she looked around, she watched the bickering and cat fights among the dancers and how shamefully patrons weren't getting their drinks. So, she took charge by befriending Jack the bartender played by Cam Gigandet, then moved from the unemployment line to waiting on tables and serving drinks. Tess, the club owner played by Cher, told her she has great enthusiasm and terrible timing. However, in the midst of all this tension whiplash, Tess told Ali to take off her coat and get to work.

Ali studied hard by reading every burlesque book ever written. She demonstrated a fierce determination that she could do every dance, every scene, step by step better than the other girls at the audition . She was impressive and landed the job. Now here's the catch 22, people pay to see the dancers lip sync to the great stars like Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend." There is no live singing at Burlesque. What is a girl to do with all that vocal talent? Well, she could be lucky to have a vengeful enemy like Nikki who turns off the pre-recorded music during her lip sync stage performance. Surely for Nikki that has to be the biggest mistake, huge mistake, right? Right. So the rest, as they say, is history! Tess rewrites the whole show around Ali's voice and the small town girl is now center stage on Hollywood Sunset Stripe.

Cher's performance was better than great, it was awesome. She delivers a warm touchy feeling convincing me she owned the club, she loved the club and she wasn't selling her club. Hard set and beautiful, standing tall and confident, singing " You Haven't Seen the Last of Me;" Cher is a true goddess, definitive of stage and production. I needed to see more and more of her . You can't get enough of Cher and her makeup, her hair and her famous, I know everything attitude.

Christina is the sweetest part of the movie. She worked Burlesque from the beginning to the end with an Eminem's 8 mile state of mind, you only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. Without a doubt, she definitely lost herself in the music, the moment, and the dancing. When you know you got it, you go get it. She wore skimpy cultured pearls, juicy bareback couture glittering with diamonds, and holding ostrich feathers only, as she paraded the stage singing slow songs, old songs and hip hop songs. Her roommate Jack, black eyeliner by night, is the movie's secret eye candy. Well built, nice teeth, and shy, he gives us a little touch of burlesque with his steamy and lusty private moves. And of course we need to mention Sean played by Stanley Tucci. He held the movie together or should I say he held Tess together.

Burlesque is an eye-popping never boring cinematic experience that will entertain you with grandeur songs from the present and the past. As you experience this razzle dazzle movie, you can actually feel the music. To me, Burlesque mirrors Purple Rain's electrifying energy that generated from a club of talented, struggling performers and a sidekick love affair. Christina and Cher in Burlesque will be remembered like Prince in Purple Rain. You have to see it again and again, because true talent never ages, its ageless. I just loved every mind- blowing performance and I'm sure you will too, so GO see it!!

Erennge

When I originally heard of the concept for Steven Antin's Burlesque, a movie musical starring pop phenom Christina Aguilera and the legendary Cher, I was, if you could believe it, less than enthusiastic. I was under the assumption that this film would be not just bad, but god awful. Recalling horrid pop star film debuts (ex. Mariah Carey in the depressingly hollow Glitter, Britney Spears in the mind-numbing Crossroads) I thought I was in for a cinematic train wreck of epic proportions. And I'm happy to tell you today, that I couldn't have been more wrong.

First of all, what makes Burlesque unlike Glitter and Crossroads is its aesthetics. Christina Aguilera's strong voice is enough to carry a film, as it turns out. However, Burlesque has more to fall back on. Cher plays Tess, Aguilera's character's boss and mentor. She can make any film excellent. Secondly, this film is a musical, also unlike Glitter and Crossroads. It shoots for being something of a hybrid between Cabaret and Chicago, and doesn't completely fail. Thirdly, this film has an outstanding supporting cast, including the always great Stanley Tucci, Grey's Anatomy vet Eric Dane, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, and Alan Cumming, and these folks bring enough liveliness to save even the worst film, but here, they only add to the fun and excitement.

The story is really nothing new. Small-town girl Ali (Aguilera) leaves her job as an Iowan waitress, and heads for the big lights of Los Angeles. She stumbles upon a burlesque club run by Tess (Cher), starts working her way up, and eventually becomes the main attraction, with her intense vocal range and elaborate interpretations of dance numbers, which turns out to be a godsend for Tess, who is about to lose her club. She starts living with the charismatic and sexy bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet), after her apartment gets robbed. Romance ensues, and things go from there.

Cliché, right? It's been done before, right? Right. There isn't a section of this film that isn't even a little bit corny. But, that's not to say it's not a load of fun. I'm sorry, Harry Potter, Burlesque is the film event of the Thanksgiving holiday. Christina Aguilera isn't a fantastic actress, but she's better than you would expect her to be, and her song-and-dance numbers, obviously, are fantastic, as one would expect.

She and Cher have fantastic chemistry, as well as Cher and Stanley Tucci. All of these actors blend together so well, that they seem to compliment each other, enhancing each performance. And, I was rather disappointed to see that Cher only sang two out of the film's ten musical numbers, but it's safe to say that that's not enough, considering that she can still belt the hell out of these songs. However, Cher's obvious plastic surgeries don't help her performance, considering that her face barely moves throughout the entire picture, but she's still able to pull this role off, somehow.

Steven Antin is a director whom I've never heard of, however, I was fairly impressed. The film is directed with impeccable taste, and the writing is very quick and clever, and humorous, even when a little corny.

However, what really saves Burlesque in the end is its elaborate song- and-dance numbers. Soon after the movie begins, you know what kind of film you're in for. Even as cliché after cliché presents themselves, Burlesque has enough razzle-dazzle magic to outweigh its faults, and to leave you dancing in the aisles as you leave this film.

Tygokasa

i have just watched this movie for the first time today, and I must say that I don't understand why I listened to the other reviews. All I heard was that the acting was horrible and the story was bland and so on. I will say that the opening scene is a bit too empty, but then Christina starts singing and you forget all about it. The cast is amazing: for the guys we have Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Julianne Hough, Chelsea Traille and the rest of the girls, even Dianna Agron; for the ladies we have Eric Dane and of course the sculptured Cam Gigandet; of course we can't forget about the acting powerhouse that is Stanley Tucci playing the gay best friend that every woman wishes she had (especially if he is that good looking); and we can't forget about Peter Gallagher and Alan Cumming. There is a lot more eye candy from all the boys that work at Burlesque. The story is somewhat predictable but I find that the way it is told, between music and extra little drama in the background, makes it perfect. Just hearing Christina Aguilera singing is enough to carry the story along. Cher has a solo about halfway through the movie that brings you back to one of the main issues in the background which makes for a very powerful solo thanks to that story and the power of Cher's voice makes it even more dramatic. The writing is exquisite due to a main reason, it is perfectly real. It is not full of extra fluff and puff just to create some kind of big moment. It has lots of funny in it, but very subtle . Bottom line is, the script is simple, to the point and every line sounds like something you would hear somebody say in real life. Many films have all that dialogue that you know nobody would ever say but it makes for those big moment, but the simplicity in this movie is what makes me like it so much. It is a simple film, with an amazing cast, that I believe has been completely overlooked. I have a theory as to why it has been overlooked...the marketing for it wasn't very good, it only focused on Cher and Christina and it made very little reference to any of the other amazing people in it or even to the story. The trailer makes it sound like it is all about the dancing and sining, but there is an actual story behind it all. The love story is only partially shown on the trailer, there isn't even one image of Eric Dane or Peter Gallagher, there is too much information about the dancing part as well, I personally think they should have left a little mystery on the dancing and singing and added some more of the story into it.

That's just what I think. Enjoy.

Oreavi

I can easily summarize this film into short sentences. This film has everything, everything but a plot that is. What you should expect from Burlesque is almost two hours of high powered entertainment. Burlesque is just that, entertaining. If you are going to this film to witness a great storyline unfold don't go see this film. However, if you want to be entertained with great vocals from Christina Aguilera and Cher in addition to great acting from Peter Gallagher, Stanley Tucci, Alan Cummings, and again Cher then this film is a must see. I must say prior to the screening that I attended, I was very apprehensive that I was going to see a product that resembled a "Nine" / "Coyote Ugly" blend of a film, but I was certainly wrong. Burlesque holds itself above the rest of the films in its category. The film obviously cost a lot to produce and I believe that the money was well spent. Cher's performance was excellent. Say what you want about the person, but the actress conveys a confidence level in front of the camera as though she has done this a hundred times. Stanley Tucci is also quite merit worthy in this film. His performance in "Lovely Bones" is still haunting and his role as Cher's right-hand gay best friend/costume designer in this film just shows what incredible range this actor has. The costume design, casting, choreography and set design for this film are also worthy of mention. You can count on this film definitely being nominated in the Best Film in Comedy or Musical category for the Golden Globes in December. This film will also do incredibly well at the box office. I would have no problem watching this film again.

Cordabor

This movie wore out both my BS detector and my suspension of disbelief.

It should be prosecuted under the Trades Description Act, and sued by Rob Marshall and the estate of Bob Fosse for plagiarism. Because it ain't burlesque, and it rips off too many elements from Marshall's film of "Chicago" and Fosse's choreography, for me to count.

This movie is as true a glimpse of the real burlesque scene, as "Showgirls" was of the real traditional Vegas showgirl scene. But "Showgirls" had a slightly more believable plot.

Here's a suggestion for Steve Antin: How about making a movie called "Girl Group", with only one musical number in it? After all, you've given us a movie called "Burlesque" with only ONE actual burlesque number in it. The rest is just a rip-off of your sister's Pussycat Dolls routines. Especially that final number. THAT was the song that took so long for the hero to write??? THAT was the song that was so deeply personal that he couldn't share it with anyone until he felt it was perfect??? No wonder my BS detector wore out.

The costumes are gorgeous (hence the 3 stars from me), but they're the only things that made this movie remotely tolerable. And the camera never held still long enough for me to get a really good look at them. (Note to all directors: If you're spending that much on costumes, for god's sake, let us see them and appreciate them!) Also, as someone who is active in the burlesque scene, I must point out that merely wearing a burlesque style costume does NOT make someone into a burlesque performer any more than wearing spike heels and a miniskirt makes a nun into a streetwalker.

Vocally, Christina Aguilera and Cher both have amazing voices. But does every song they sing have to be a power-ballad with all those full-out wails and cadenzas? Enough, already! Those songs and vocal gymnastics lose their dramatic power when they're all we ever get to hear.

All in all, "Burlesque" was 2 hours of my life that I won't be getting back.

Nidor

So, it's a movie about a lounge with signers and dancers. It's not a musical, but you expect to see dancing, sexy and songs. Burlesque delivers on all account, it's sexy without being naked, it's fun, the music is great.

I don't know why so many reviewers here say that Christina Aguilera is a bad actress, she gave quite a decent performance considering that, well, she is not an actress. And while Cher is not on the screen all the time, she is fantastic. For a woman in her sixties, wow...

The movie made me buy the soundtrack, Christina know how to sing and she is very good.

As for the background stories (lounge on the verge of closing, love interest), they are there to give the movie some meaning but are not overly invading on the main content witch is signing and dancing. Those background stories are were the movie lost my 2 points, because you don't quite feel the urgency, stress of Tess money problems, everything runs like there is no problem at all.

All in all, it's a good, entertaining movie. It's gonna be in my blu-ray collection, just for the music and dancing alone.

Manazar

I, unlike a lot of people in lieu to it's box office results, really wanted to see Burlesque. I am not necessarily a Christina Aguilera fan, though she has made a lot of songs I like, same deal for Cher, and though the movie did not seem like it would be a 10/10, it looked insanely fun for my tastes and I had been invited by my friend and her mom to go see it with them. We were all fairly excited, after seeing the previews and hearing of what reception it did get from audiences was generally well perceived, and, directly after it was over, were pleased to admit that all three of us really enjoyed it and were not disappointed.

There is not really many downsides to this movie, in my honest opinion, that can not be made up for with other material. For example: The songs, while not all are memorable, make the movie ultimately more enjoyable, and have some nice choreography to the dances that were made for them. "Show Me How to Burlesque" is my favorite song, with Cher's "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" and another song, that incongruently and infuriatingly is not listed in the soundtrack titles on here, and did not have a really huge part in the movie other than it being my favorite dance sequence, besides "Show Me How to Burlesque", being two other very catchy songs in the movie, as well. The others felt like they were there merely to fill time, because I personally did not find them that special.

There's not really any brand new, awesome material, but it really is much better than people would expect in terms of entertainment and professionalism. Christina Aguilera has got some pipes. Whether you like her vocals or not, she can hit and hold a note, and she really is not that bad of an actress. She wasn't in this film, at least, and while we are at it, neither was Cher; both gave pretty believable and likable performances. Everyone gave a likable performance both acting and music wise, especially my man candy Cam Gigandet. You could grate cheese on that boy's body. There is a nice touch of comedy here and there from Alan Cumming, Stanley Tucci, and a very cute and well done scene between Aguilera and Gigandet that involves a nice shot of Gigandet's bottom and another mishap in that scene that will make anyone crave "the box of cookies" at that exact moment. (I love Cam Gigandet.)

Moving on, another aspect is the movie has got excellent, sparkly costumes during some flashy, risqué sequences that could possibly make anyone have a seizure who was not thoroughly prepared. Another of my favorite things is it has got beautiful, and I mean beautiful lighting, and wonderful make-up in many scenes making the actors, actresses and settings look picturesque and crisp. Steve Antin, while not an amazing director, does a very nice job, and does an even better job with the writing, even if the script is not Oscar worthy. Like I have said, it is not going to be held in cinema history as the next Casablanca, or Godfather, few movies are nowadays, but this was an enjoyable experience for many reasons and I encourage anyone who thinks they can handle it for what it is to see it.

Karg

I waited a long time to write this review. I liked the film a great deal but I'm not so sure everyone will. It is entertaining in the way of old fashioned entertainment. Other people in the theater I attended liked it a lot also. That was easy to ascertain by the loud comments both during and after the film.

The story, itself, is a little shallow, mainly it's there as a means to fill in the space in between the elaborate musical numbers. However, the story is enough for the vehicle it carries, happy ending and all.

Cher, as the club owner Tess, has top billing but the entire show is undoubtedly Christina Aguilera as country-girl turned burlesque performer Ali. I'm old enough to say that in my life I've seen most of the premiere singing performers of modern times, many in live concert. Little Christina Aguilera is not just in a class by herself. Ms. Aguilera is in another universe, perhaps even another dimension. Her voice has a tonal quality, a power and a range that is nothing short of staggering. But the best part is that she knows how to make fullest use of that magnificent instrument.

Every second that Christina Aguilera is on screen she is absolutely riveting. You can't take your eyes off of her; and not just because she's remarkably beautiful. Here she is in this film, surrounded by a good number of extremely beautiful and talented women, yet they all seem to fade into the background fog when she is on. She has something more than beauty. She radiates raw animal magnetism and positively smolders in some kind of unidentifiable sexual power that just plain overshadows everything around her. In short, this film is well worth watching just for Aguilara's screen time.

If you can tear yourself away from watching Christina, there is more here to see. All the participants turn in great performances. All the dancers surrounding her are talented and wonderful to watch. All together they create very memorable entertainment. Kristen Bell as Nikki and Julianne Hough as Georgia are great but it's Bell who is the surprise. Being so used to seeing her as the usual blonde adornment in romantic comedies she surprised me with her dancing talent. She's really good. And, Hough is a given in a dancing costume; as flawlessly great as she is beautiful.

For me, the performance I enjoyed the most other than Christina's was Stanley Tucci as Sean. Mr. Tucci is a great talent who adds character and charm to everything he does and he won't disappoint anyone here.

I saved any negatives for last and none have anything to do with the cast. I found I didn't like the sound the way it was presented. The techniques they used tended to make the performances almost look like they were all canned/lip synced. I'm sure they thought the vocals had more power the way they did them but it truthfully detracted from the overall presentation.

The decision to make a PG-13 rated film was, no doubt, made to try and capture the kiddie ticket buyers. I honestly feel that if they actually pulled out the stops and made an honest R rated film with a more adult slant it would have been better and more profitable in the long run. To me, trying to make anything called "BURLESQUE" anything other than an adult film just seems ludicrous on the face of it.

In spite of the negatives it's still entertaining. I'll take friends to see it with a clear conscience.

By Bruce L. Jones

http://webpages.charter.net/bruce.jones1/

Dalallador

The state of American film in the 21st Century has been generally abysmal but nowhere is it more evident than in the film musical. Taking the most honored of the period Chicago, a Fosse wanta be with bad performances and forgettable tunes as the benchmark it is more than evident all singing all dancing has lost its voice and more than a step. The latest entry and every bit the tepid much ado about nothing heat and light display of flaccid musical storytelling as the Oscar winner (an even bigger comment on the unimaginative state of the movie business) is the insipidly slick Burlesque.

Stop me if you've heard this. Young impressionable girl with massive hidden talent leaves the land of corn for the bright lights of LA where she stumbles upon a run down anachronism with a crusty but understanding owner still in it for love of the game who gives the kid a break and, well you can fill in the rest.

In the role of Judy Garland Christine Aguleria sings the blues with impressive voice but it's all plastic soul and slumming for the former mouseketeer who presents an unintentionally jarring visual context of an Aryan uber babe singing Bessie Smith. Speaking of plastic Cher all polished and waxed like an antique Oldsmobile splits her time offering sage advice and sarcasm. In addition she does a couple of tunes with her signature howl wrapped as always in distracting outfit and opulent stagecraft to soften its blow. There's some male characters whose purpose it seems is to stand around with expressions of awe for the divas and of course the serious pyrotechnics surrounding the noir dance numbers that attempts to put some make-up on this pig but in the end it is all forced Fosse.

Skrimpak

It is a really quiet Thanksgiving Day in Marin County, Northern, CA. Thank you IMDb for alerting me about this film. Despite the fact this could have been great in period costume with a Humphrey Bogart, George Raft and the rest (are they around?), don't miss this film if you love an unexpected treat. Which brings up the questions-where are women led films from todays media moguls? This movie shows how it can be done-with someone of the awesome power of Christine and a showcase for veteran CHER, these ladies blow away the plot absurdity and the male cheesecake to rock out. If only Chicago had the dance and song power of these pieces, it would have been as great as everyone said it was. And if only some of the other great women songsters sitting at home were given this kind of raw musical showcase. This movie shows that as far as great vocalization. women hold there own and then some. Christine-you are a star. So there it is, some power music pieces, thrilling vocal fireworks, and a reworking of the R and B "lady on fire" legacy that goes back to the first blues shouters, moves through greats like Aretha and Sharon Jones, and becomes oh so real in this bit of very musical celluloid. Unlike Thanksgiving dinner, this warm meal left you wanting more. Much more.

Marad

I love this movie . I think Christina aguria did a amazing job playing ali . I love all the music in it there fun enjoyable songs to listen to . i ask my mom to buy me the sound track for Christmas because i could listen to the the songs all day and not get bord . but any ways i was blow away when i saw this movie it was so inspiring and i love the story to it . but my favorite part of the movie is when Tess sing you haven't seen the last of me when she was on the stage you can just feel her emotion through the song it really powerful and up lifting song i love love it . it the best musical i saw so far with the best music . i hope you all enjoy what i wrote .

sobolica

Raise the curtain! Before heading to watch thiz movie, I already had my own imagination about how the story would look like, I thought maybe it revolved around a countryside girl who was about to try her luck to chase her dream in a big city (eventually the city is Los Angeles and the girl's name is Ali which is played by Christina Aguilera), maybe she would start from a cloistered but extraordinary nite club (apparently it named Burlesque), maybe she would have a tough beginning for her career and there would be such a mentor for her (I talk about Cher), maybe she was going to meet her love interest, a pretty boy with an attitude (I talk about Cam Gigandet), or maybe she would be forced to quarrel with her envious evil colleague as well (I talk about Kristen Bell). And for the ending I don't have to explain, I give it to you to figure it out yourself, I am pretty sure that you have already know the ending as well, and you are right! In the tradition of "Coyote Ugly" (2000) and Rob Marshall's movies such as "Chicago" (2002) and "Nine" (2009), here it comes a new breed of the genre. The movie is second directing effort after "Glass House: The Good Mother" (2006) by former child star of "The Goonies" (1985), Steve Antin. Thiz Ali's character is obviously made for Aguilera, it's like let a fish swims freely into the sea. It flows naturally. Cher is a legendary music icon who makes one dimensional impression, there is no specific chemistry with other Cast members, she seems to be talking to herself. Cam Gigandet, after seeing his macho performance previously in "Never Back Down" (2008), thiz time he plays more easy-going and fun role. But the worst of the worst is Kristen Bell who delivers a horrible nightmare performance, it's not convincing at all as Ali's competitor. Better performances come from Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane and Allan Cumming. Forget about the Actors, the film once again is an Aguilera's playground. Her powerful voice covers up all the flaws. The opening song "Something's Got a Hold on Me" is my favorite with gratifying 1970s Rock 'n' Roll tune. With all those fabulous songs, it comes to my mind why there isn't one single duet song from these two world class performers. Anyway, the dancing and cabaret performances are splendid. Aguilera's performance is very hypnotic and spectacular. In fact, who doesn't want to pay small nite club's cheap ticket that there is a performance from Christina Aguilera. Hello? It is Christina Aguilera on the stage! The story is predictable and the conflict is cliché. It doesn't look like a movie after all. By the way, I didn't come home from a movie. I had just come home from Christina Aguilera's concert. And I am happy! ^_^

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Kearanny

According to the dictionary, the word "burlesque" is defined as being a variety show characterized by low-comedy and striptease.

Well, (unless there are 2 versions of this movie out there) this version of Burlesque (with its PG-13 rating) contained neither one of these forms of entertainment. (It might have helped if it did)

I guess that the reason behind this film's erroneous and (deliberately) misleading title has something to do with the fact that a word like "burlesque" has a very provocative and enticing sound to it.

From my point of view, I found Burlesque to be, pretty much, an up-dated, carbon-copy of Flashdance and something of a Cabaret-clone, as well, with the distinctive echoes of Dirty Dancing thrown in for good measure.

Burlesque's backstage, backstabbing story was so continually marred by clichés, predictability, dumb dialogue and trite personal dramas that this, in turn, quickly reduced its elaborately staged musical numbers to being nothing more than half-ass fizzle rather than full-throttle sizzle.

And speaking about Burlesque's mega-extravagant musical numbers, (when you clearly see the exterior of the building where they were being staged) you'll be quick to realize that there was absolutely no way on Earth that a dinky, little venue like that could ever possibly house these fantastic, "Vegas"-calibre productions. No way, Jose!

Anyways - Besides the fact that the 64-year-old Cher was never filmed in natural daylight (Gee. I wonder why??), Burlesque really killed me with its pretentious and snooty "I'm-so-classy" attitude.

This picture tried and tired (so earnestly) to firmly establish itself as a real class act. But, hey, once the glitzy trinkets and shiny tinsel got stripped away it was nothing but cheap and petty story-telling right to its very core.

post_name

This movie was beyond anything i could have ever expected. Christina really pulled it off and Cher she was amazing as always. Saw it today and I went out and bought the sound track. The music is great! This is a movie i will buy when it comes out on Blu-Ray. Hurray! The story is very simple and that is a good thing. The writer did not over do it with drama and was able to focus on the characters and the music. I was so surprised when I saw that Christina can not only sing and dance her pants off but she can actually act. The best part of this movie is the music. This is my new favorite movie. I went into the movie after getting up on Black Friday at 5am and i exited the theater in a great mood and with tons of energy.

Arryar

Like the name implies, "Burlesque" was lofty, dramatic and musically ambitious. Unlike the name, I think it was too serious to be much of a parody of stage-shows. Cher is an actress, an Academy Award winning actress at that, but there was minimal evidence of intentional self-caricaturing.

A small-town Iowa waitress pursues her dreams and high-tails it to Los Angeles. Ali has way too much audacity for her own good but it does get her a job, two scrumptious boyfriends, and into the burlesque show. Of course it does. Alice, you are in wonderland now. At least when lines like that are delivered by Stanley Tucci they are pretty funny.

The film did have a plot with questions along the lines of: Will Ali realize her dreams of singing and dancing? Will she meet the man of her dreams? And more importantly, will Tess (Cher) save her club from financial ruin? The latter storyline might actually matter if the rest of the film wasn't littered with outlandish sets, costumes and lighting. But "Burlesque" is also what it claims to be—entertaining. Well, mildly entertaining. Christina Aguilera can sing, Cher and Stanley Tucci have good comedic chemistry, and Cam Gigandet is one of the hottest young actors around.

Moswyn

Just watched this ambitious Cher-Christina Aguilera musical drama with my theatre-working friend and we both found it fabulous! Is it a masterpiece? Well, not quite as the plot seems to be quite derivative not to mention a romance subplot involving Ms. Aguilera's possible "gets" between her-roommate-with-a-fiancée-far-away (Cam Gigandet) and an-older-rich-man-who's-trying-to-buy-Cher's-club (Eric Dane). But the leading performances of both are fine which also goes for the supporting turns by some of the above not to mention Kristen Bell and especially Stanley Tucci as the right hand man of Cher's at the club. And seeing both Ms. Aguilera and Cher singing their songs-especially the latter on "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"-are at their most compelling. There's also the requisite witty lines that make things go more smoothly as the narrative goes on. Oh, and more thing: I didn't recognize neither Julianne Hough nor Dianna Agron when they appeared on screen so I was surprised when I read who they were in the ending credits. But, overall, Burlesque was a rollicking good time for my friend and me.

Nahn

If you like old fashioned musicals this is for you. Small town girl comes to Hollywood. In the tradition of "Cabaret" the music is performed in the venue rather then the characters bursting into song like dialogue. Unlike "Cabaret" the bad guys aren't Nazis, but unseen evil banks and real estate developers.

The story is thin, fluff, and predictable. The only thing stiffer then the dialogue is Cher's face. The musical numbers are high octane entertainment.

Christina Aguilera will be recognized by the Golden Globes for her performance and a song she wrote seems poised for an Academy Award. Stanly Tucci always looks like he is having fun.

It's not "Chicago". It doesn't measure up to the classic Hollywood musicals but it's a good try. See it.

Kieel

Well I wont be as long winded as some ... cough cough... however I have not been a fan of either.. and just figured this was another Chicago.. not really into musicals.. easy to figure out..

I broke down watched it .. and LOVED IT..

perhaps the others expected to much .. I expected the worse and was so surprised .. I have watched it many times..

You know good some movies no matter how good .. its like NO WAY am i watching that again.. I wont mention but sure we ll have some like that..

I liked this movie..

have to love ones you feel good at the end.. (which is probably the difference between watching it over and NO WAY ) lol watch it .. its worth it

Maridor

BURLESQUE sets itself up for some fairly blunt 2011 criticism for it's lame storyline but if one knows their films of the 30s to the 70s, you can see they type of nightclub musical it wants to be. If BURLESUE was made in the 30s it would be a Warner bros Vitaphone musical like 42nd STREET or FOOTLIGHT PARADE. Christina Aguelira would be played by Joan Blondell who she actually resembles. Cam Gigandet would be James Cagney. Cher vs Mae West. Hop into the 40s and we might have Rita Hayworth as Cher, Berry Grable as Christina, and called COVER GIRL or PIN UP GIRL, or if you prefer staying in a cheaper locale THE SWING PARADE OF 1946, Monogram's big nightclub musical mess starring Gale Storm and performers in a finale who did not appear anywhere else in the whole film. In the 50s, well just have a look at either PAL JOEY or THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT. The opening 5 minutes of BURLESQUE resembles the 1965 Elvis credit sequence on a bus in TICKLE ME. BURLESQUE really really wants to be all of the fabulous nightclub scenes from SWEET CHARITY... the scenes where Charity meets Vittorio and sees the RICH MAN'S FRUG dance numbers with awesome Barrie Chase and her 10' legs and whopper hair. Now that we are in Fossey territory, add some CABARET (in fact, a lot of CABARET), mix in MOULIN ROUGE and plenty of CHICAGO and Columbia's B grade subsidiary Screen Gems give us a new B grade nightclub musical with all the above elements called BURLESQUE. This film just wants to be some of all those above. Hell it is far better than NINE and miles ahead of RENT, which for me is just fine. I actually think the 'lets save the nightclub' storyline is a wink to other cliché musicals and knows it. (Boogaloo, anyone?) What is good about BURLESQUE is the hilarious script which has some terrific lines, the excellent rapport between the three leads Cher, C.A and Stanley Tucci... and of course cute Cam as the Paul Newman type love interest. His 'box of cookies' nude scene adds some well timed zing. The dance numbers are thoroughly enjoyable albeit badly edited and filmed too close, like most of the film. The songs good and the costumes offer the old razzle dazzle as well they could and actually do. BURLESQUE knows it is silly and has a great time with it... hey just like an actual BURLESQUE show. Just enjoy. it's not difficult. BURLESQUE might even get Barbra Striesand out of the house to make a new musical given she would see it as her husband James Brolin has a cameo and Cher is her same age: 66. Also finally Cher might get the cash to make the Mae West musical for which she is now ideal. BURLESQUE would make a terrific double feature with Columbia's own 1948 cheapie LADIES OF THE CHORUS starring Marilyn Monroe in the Christina part.

Adorardana

Christina Aguilera is the second singer to make her big screen debut this month. The first being Pixie Lott with her futile effort as Judy in a contender for the worst film of the year, Fred: The Movie. As we saw in Fred, Pixie occasionally sang in some parts of the film to demonstrate the talent and Aguilera does the same but only a lot more considering Burlesque is a musical. So is this the same case scenario as Fred? Better, but certainly nothing great.

Aguilera plays Ali, a small town girl leaving her home to depart to Los Angeles (because of the hard time living with her parents) in order to live her dream as a singer/dancer. She comes across The Burlesque Lounge, which is managed by Tess, who is played by music icon Cher. Starting off as a waiter in the place, she becomes enthusiastic to showcase her singing talent to Tess and her performance eventually convinces Tess, who then allows her to perform on the shows. In the background of it all, the characters in the club face problems – Tess' club faces bankruptcy and despite putting one obstacle out of the way by refusing an entrepreneur called Marcus Gerber's (Eric Dane) offer to buy the club, she still fears that she will lose the club. And for Ali, her problems lie with a fellow dancer who despises her called Nikki (Kristen Bell) as they clash for who the main star of the club is and an engaged bartender called Jack (Cam Gigandet) who has a desire to develop a relationship with Ali despite having a fiancée.

The characterisation is heavily flawed in Burlesque. Let's begin with Ali. Christina Aguilera was suitable for the role but not suitable. She has the skill to act as a good singer and a role like this can display it but playing a young dancer doesn't work, she looks a bit old for the role. Her character alters in the film: starting off as an unknown waitress keen to perform, and saying to the first man met at the club that it reminded her of a strip club to a star performer racking up the cash for the club with the popularity she gains and reiterating her opinion of the club as "I've never seen anything like this". From the time it takes for her to go from rock bottom to the most confident singer in the club, she evolves into a pompous arse. And that time is very quick. Rome wasn't built in one day, but the character of Ali was.

Cher as Tess is the opposite. She starts off as 'it' until the club's financial problem hits her, then she becomes the character Ali started off with, a woman with problems that need to be sorted. It takes two to make a thing go right, but not when they contrast heavily even when they change. Not to miss the fact that her looks are incredibly ludicrous. To sum it up, the word "plastic" defines how she looks in this. From the dancers in the club, only two have significance in the film, Kristen Bell's jealous character Nikki and Julianne Hough's Georgia, a dancer whom Ali befriends. Have I mentioned Coco yet? Coco (Chelsea Traille) is a black female dancer who occasionally grins at Ali in a manner which you would expect something fishy going on between them but it turns out meaningless. Stanley Tucci plays a bent stage manager called Sean. Not much to say about him. Cam Gigandet plays the bartender Jack who first appears gay with his eyeliner but turns out to actually be straight. Oh and the man that I mentioned at the start whom Ali describes the club as having the looks of a strip club to? He doesn't have significance either apart from reappearing in a dance scene which has a lot of sexual interaction between him and the two dancers participating with him.

The script writer of this film did a bad job. The dialogue spoken by the characters was very repetitive – when one character said something, the other retaliated by saying exactly the same thing but just worded SLIGHTLY differently. I also must say that some of these lines are really corny, with the corniness making the bad film so bad that it's good.

This is a musical that features a club which is actually similar to a strip club. It contains voluptuous women wearing skimpy apparel and wiggling their butts every so often during their dances. Add a small sex scene which comes out of nowhere (starting from a cheesy scene which turns into something mature) – which also involves the male completely nude apart from a cookie box covering his mid-section – as well as the dance mentioned previously which imitates sex positions yet here is a film rated 12A. Scandalous. Maybe it is because of nothing like pole dancing, stripteases and full nudity. At the same time, with content like that, anyone under 12 going to watch the film would be viewing this. C'mon Steve Antin, did you forget about the young audience or was your aim to stimulate sexual activity in youngsters?

On the musical side, Burlesque has positives. In here, the songs aren't suddenly broken into like you'd normally see thanks to it being set in a club where the stage is where everything happens. There are one or two exceptions though. Aguilera and Cher being two experienced singers worked and the songs were enjoyable with all the song scenes looking like music videos rather than part of a film.

Burlesque, with its cheesiness, is a film so bad that it's good. Yes, I repeated that sentence in this review just like the dialogue in the film. It's a musical that mainly hits the wrong notes, with the only right note being the music itself. Well done to Christina Aguilera anderm, that's about it.

Kikora

I wouldn't consider myself a fan of musicals. I found Burlesque to be very entertaining. Christina Aguilera was excellent as was the rest of the cast. The story moved along so you didn't feel like it was song after song like most made for the theater musicals. . I don't think I have enjoyed a movie as much as Burlesque in a long time. The crowd often would applaud or hoot after each number. And surprisingly, there were tons of LOL moments.

If you have the slightest thoughts that you might like this movie, take a chance with this one. Burlesque was worth the full admission and outrageous prices at the snack counter.

Mori

This movie is exactly what you'd expect, and doesn't try to be much more. It's all about the music, and the main "plot" of the movie almost seems tacked-on, as if the studio realized it couldn't just release a 100-minute film of Christina belting out burlesque tunes. So they threw a story together to pad out the moments between musical numbers.

The plot is pretty transparent, the jokes are fairly obvious, and if I said the words "the club is in financial trouble", you can most likely guess the majority of rest of the movie.

You'll notice earlier I said Christina "belts" out burlesque tunes, and this isn't exaggerating. Strangely, if I have a complaint about Christina's performance, it would be her vocal barrages that sometimes seemed forced. A couple times I wanted to throw my hands up and yell, "Okay, I get it!" The grunt-like "HOOOAAAAHHHHYAHYAHYAHHHHH"s physically made my ears hurt in a couple of places. Don't get me wrong, she DOES have an amazing voice, but it doesn't need to go all the way to eleven all the time. I understand she's passionate about what she's singing. That's fine. But don't beat me over the head with it.

The rest of the cast is excellent. Cher does a remarkable job, and I'd go so far as to say I enjoyed "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" more than the majority of Christina's songs, if only because Cher sings that song with more soul and passion than anything Christina does. It's more than Cher's character singing, it's Cher herself, if that makes sense.

Stanley Tucci is perfect as Cher's gay sidekick. The jokes are basically what you'd expect, but that doesn't make the character less charming. Kristen Bell does well with her smallish part. I was surprised and excited to see Alan Cumming's name in the opening credits, and was shocked at how small his role was. Cam Gigandet and Eric Dane are the usual, meaning they're what you'd expect from supporting male characters vying for the affections of the lead female character. One is involved in the only scene in the movie (towards the end) that is almost unbearable in it's "convenience", but it's forgivable given the tone of the rest of the movie.

If you're going to see this movie, just enjoy it for what it is. Don't expect a piece of masterful cinema, don't take it too seriously. Enjoy the music, enjoy the plot for the fluff it is, and if you're a guy seeing it with your wife/girlfriend, enjoy the scantily-clad women.

Error parents

Cher is great in this movie. She should be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. And the movie itself is wonderful. It's far-fetched, brassy, silly, wonderful. The musical numbers are incredible. Christine Aguilera is charming and wow, can she sing! Even the bad guy is wonderful. This is the type of movie that makes you feel like you don't want it to end. It offers nonstop music, melodramatics, silly scenes, and laughs. Stanley Tucci is great as Cher's assistant, friend, and confidante. Burlesque is larger than life, it's pure escapism. The musical numbers fill the screen, the music is loud, snappy and upbeat. The movie has no lulls, is entertaining, has a simple storyline and likable characters. If anyone thinks that Cher is over the hill, watch this movie and think again, And if anyone thinks that Ms. Aguilera is not star material, watch this movie and think again. This movie is proof that the Hollywood musical is still alive and kicking.

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