Burlesque (2010)
Directed by Steven Antin
Written by Steven Antin
Starring Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci
Release Date November 24th, 2010
Published November 23rd, 2010
There is a near overdose of camp in Steven Antin's “Burlesque.” Whether it's Cher or Christina Aguilera or a story of a small town girl in the big city with big dreams, everything seems to come up kitsch in this tremendously familiar story. Camp is not such a bad thing; especially when it is accompanied by some good tunes and some big unintended laughs.
Christina Aguilera takes the role of the typical small town girl with the surprisingly big voice and even bigger dreams (blech). Ms. Aguilera plays Ali who escapes her tiny Iowa town for the bright lights of Los Angeles where she hopes to find work as a back up singer or dancer. One day as she is wandering the streets with what is apparently a 'dancers wanted' newspaper page in hand, Ali comes across a place called Burlesque.
Inside there is a show going on starring the club's owner Tess (Cher) who literally sings as Aly walks in "Welcome to Burlesque.". At the bar Ali meets Jack (Cam Gigandet) who strikes up a flirtation hindered by the fact that she thinks he's gay. Taken backstage she begs for a job and ends up a waitress. Eventually, Ali ends up on stage and blah, blah, blah.
”Burlesque” is not about plot, it's about massive excess and outrageous everything. “Burlesque” is pure camp from the ludicrously cheeseball story to the outlandish stage presentation and especially to the friendship between Tess and her gay best friend Sean (Stanley Tucci) which is every stereotypical gay man's wet dream. The camp is at near overdose level from beginning to end in “Burlesque” and it's up to you if that is a good or bad thing.
Myself, I enjoyed “Burlesque” in the sort of so bad its good fashion. My favorite part is how the club is suffering serious financial troubles and may be about to close. I'm just guessing here but I think the reason the club is going under is because they spend as much on massive stage spectacles as your average Broadway spectacular and their wardrobe budget likely exceeds the mortgage on the building which allegedly houses this club. Hell, the wig budget alone could probably pay off what is owed to keep the club open.
We aren't supposed to think practically about what happens in “Burlesque” and really why would we? There is no reality even attempting to take hold in this fabulized version of “The Wizard of Oz” crossed with “A Star Is Born.” Someone in the media described “Burlesque” as a 'gay fantasia' and really I cannot top that word perfect description of “Burlesque.”
I could complain that Cam Gigandet is miscast or that Alan Cumming is in the cast but barely used and that Kristen Bell is far too cardboard to be a proper villainess but none of that matters and by the end I didn't care about the movie-ish things that were wrong with “Burlesque;” I was too busy smiling and giggling to care about practicalities.
”Burlesque” is just self serious enough to pity and self aware enough not to be completely terrible. I think all involved had an idea that they were creating kitsch but hedged a little in hope that maybe there was a chance it could all be taken seriously. It cannot be taken seriously but it still works in its very unique, camp fashion. You have to be a fan of over the top, so bad its good fun to enjoy “Burlesque” but if that is your humor, you will love this movie.
By the way, does anybody know if Cher is a fan of the musical “Dreamgirls?” I ask because in “Burlesque” Cher sings a song called “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” that is a near perfect knock off of Effie’s “And I’m Telling You, I’m Not Going.” Knock off or not, the song shows that Cher probably could pull off that extraordinarily difficult “Dreamgirls” standard even at 62 years old. That alone might be worth the price of admission to “Burlesque.”
