Burlesque (I) (2010) User Reviews

There's 2 hours I won't be getting back.

[prosebank · 3/10 · 30 November 2010]

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.

The grotesque state of the film musical

[st-shot · 3/10 · 1 December 2010]

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.

Not great

[jamesraesimpson · 3/10 · 14 April 2020]

If you like Christina Aguilera, you will probably enjoy this movie. If you like movies, you probably won't enjoy this movie.

The issue is if you are looking at it objectively as film for watching, it's just not good. There is no drama, no depth, nothing to get you engaged or interested. But Aguilera is super talented - we know this - and I have chosen to factor her singing ability into this rating. Perhaps that isn't right, and instead I can just go and listen to her music separately to enjoy that.

Regardless of the music, I was bored. I didn't care for what was happening, what was coming next, and what might happen. And then when what happened happened, I just watched it happen with no reaction.

My suggestion: skim the in-between bits (the plot is so predictable it will be easy to pick up) and just listen to the Aguilera bits. Or probably better yet, just listen to the soundtrack.

Best performance by a wax mannequin ever.

[Stachehunter-857-73111 · 3/10 · 1 May 2014]

Where to start when reviewing "Burlesque"? What's the sound of one hand clapping? I caught this turgid exercise in tedium wrapped around Cher and Xtina Aguilera on cable the other night. "Burlesque" revives a plot that was old in the 1930s. Kid from nowhere shows up in the big city, reveals a hot set of pipes, and voilà, instant stardom! Usually this sort of malarkey starred Ruby Keeler, but since she's long dead, Xtina takes her place. Warner Baxter, he of the famous line "You're going out there a youngster, but you've got to come back a star!" (from "42nd Street" 1933), is also long dead, so Cher takes his place.

Every cliché imaginable occurs here. Evil supposed star of the show who plots to overthrow the ingénue, sassy gay backstage manager, hot boyfriend, impending financial doom, instant last-minute solution to the whole financial problem, love conquers all, roll credits. Also many, many terrible musical numbers featuring the vocal prowess of Xtina. This woman never met a song she didn't beat into submission. This is urban yodeling at it's finest. All songs sound alike, featuring a cast of dozens on splashy sets using Faux Fosse moves. Hey, isn't this theater in financial ruin? Where is the money coming from to put on these huge numbers? Evidently, you aren't supposed to think about this.

Which brings us to Cher, giving the best performance ever by a wax dummy. Yes, she's an icon. She has an Oscar, legions of fans, makes a comeback every two years, and could easily be replaced in this movie by that unused flesh-colored Crayola that sits in the back of the box. One would think that after losing all her Oscar credibility by doing that infamous series of hair care product infomercials, she would have picked better material for a return to the screen. She's given a series of snappy lines that she sleepwalks through, and a really forgettable power ballad to warble. This is a sad situation for Cher, since anyone who paid to see this in a theater went to see her, not Xtina.

So, the state of the American movie musical remains comatose. Everyone involved here seems to have gone into hiding, except for perky Stanley Tucci, who's now embarked on a career path of playing snappy gay characters, and Cher, who went back to Vegas for the 1,000,000 time.

Camp

[rachaelperson · 3/10 · 21 September 2022]

I love camp. I love stupidity. My only stipulation is that a campy movie shouldn't pretend to be smarter than it is. And thankfully, this one doesn't. I'm not going to say this is a great, well-made movie, but I will say that it's entertaining. Some of the time.

Any of the scenes in the club, including the musical numbers, are pure dumb fun, and I love every second of it. The acting isn't good and I don't care; if anything, that adds to it. There are plenty quotable lines, too. I will say that I wish Cher did a little more singing in it, but I can get past that.

My problem with this movie is that when it's not a full-blown camp extravaganza, it's boring. Anything having to do with Christina Aguilera's boyfriend or personal life is just dreadfully, painfully boring, and I'm just begging to get back to the good stuff.

To summarize: If you want a professional, well-constructed story, this isn't it. If you want brainless fun and like this sort of thing, this is it.

A Maudlin Film That Brings Out the Worst in Everyone

[bostonblonde · 3/10 · 10 January 2011]

First off, I LOVE movie musicals. They may be my favorite kind of movie, so naturally, I was dying to see Burlesque from the moment I saw the first ad back in September. When I finally saw it, it was beyond disappointing. I figured, "Well, if the movie sucks, at least there'll be some fun, Moulin Rouge costumes." Wrong again! The costumes were largely uncreative- too much like a Victoria's Secret catalogue.

But on to the worst part- the acting. This film drags everyone down.Christina Aguilera is horrid in the main role. I've always been a fan of hers and was excited to see her act. She can't. At all. Her character's overly dramatic back-story would be hard to play well even for a talented veteran, but Aguilera makes it seem like a bad made for TV movie. She's a fabulous singer, but she ain't no actress. Despite being "a real actress," Kristen Bell failed utterly as bad girl Nikki. She's gorgeous and plays "the bitch" well, but when she was supposed to be drunk, the only tip-off was that Cher wouldn't let her drive. Cher is one of the few in this film who did a quality performance, when the terrible writing didn't drag her down. Cam Gigandet was also commendable, but again, the lines his character was given were cringe-worthy. Example: while on the phone with his fiancé, Gigandet looks at Auilera's character across the room and says "My future? I'm looking at it." I vomited Sour Patch Kids into my drink. Even Stanley Tucci flubbed this film, although his performance in the second half is better.

On a positive note, Alan Cumming's character was a cute nod to Cabaret.

Just a bad movie -

[diane-melee · 3/10 · 26 November 2010]

I just saw this movie last night and had been looking forward to it for weeks. All the trailers highlighted Cher and I was under the impression that she would have more presence in the film. I get so angry when trailers are misleading like that. I spent the whole movie waiting for Cher's appearances. And those waits were long because they were filled with Christina Aguilera's bad acting and the movie's overall bad direction, filming and plot. Cher, when she got a few minutes in front of the camera, was mesmerizing, Aguilera, who got way too much time in front of the camera... was not so mesmerizing - she should stick to just singing.

The filming was erratic and changed styles several times within short periods. The mood and genre changed in a wild and ludicrous fashion. I was at an honest-to-goodness burlesque show one minute and then I was transported to a disco for no explicable reason.

This movie insults the intelligence and tests the patience of even the most forgiving audience.

Avoid

[grantss · 3/10 · 11 August 2019]

I generally don't like musicals, but there have been some exceptions (Across the Universe, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Chicago, to name a few) and I was hoping this might be one of these.

I should have known better. The fact that it stars Cher and Christina Aguilera is an indication that this is going to be nothing nearly as good as any of those films I mentioned. The fact that they both get to sing, and Aguilera gets to sing a lot, confirms your worst suspicions.

Plot is basic. The whole movie seems like one long Christina Aguilera music video. Accordingly, the music is also pretty bad.

Acting is unconvincing. This really has nothing going for it.

Avoid.

How Did This Get Made - Burlesque

[captzero · 3/10 · 2 April 2015]

I sat down to watch Burlesque yesterday. My first thought: this is a cliché, trying to escape her small town, move to Hollywood, become a star, girl drama. It seemed to be a, middle of the road, union of Coyote Ugly and Show Girls. Both of which, in their own right, are terrible movies. So, no surprise, immediately, this appears to be a worthy candidate for HDTGM dissection.

This is a chick flick, through and through. Men simply can't identify with this type of story. Lets face it: a movie, in which a man packs up and moves from his home town to escape small town life and a dead end job, would be a three minute film of him tying his bootlaces together, tossing the footwear over a power line, followed by a shot of him driving away. Fini. Yes, this is a movie for chicks. Based on this realization, alone, this movie should never have been made. However, men are also horn dogs who enjoy looking at scantily clad, attractive, young women, in provocative poses. There's no denying, women aren't the target demographic for burlesque shows. So, in that sense, where the premise of the story and the acting fail, the movie, at least delivers for the men. They went to the theater and paid to see a burlesque show; the movie delivered on that count. This probably explains the 6.4 user rating on IMDb.

This movie had significant failings in it's plot. The biggest failing, for me, is the burlesque club itself. Firstly, you must suspend your disbelief that we live in a world where a club like this would even exist. Burlesque establishments are typically sexually deviant, back alley, basement dungeons. But the most flagrant, in your face, aspect of the club that causes you to instantly disconnect from an ability to care, is the fact that the finances and operation of the business are woefully mismanaged by Cher's character, Tess. Compounded, on top of delinquent payments of her property's multiple mortgages, a balloon payment that is due at the end of the month, she also has so many, unnecessary, expenses that are driving her into bankruptcy. A live band, for starters, when the vocals are lip synced?. Bringing the dancers expensive alcoholic beverages between numbers? These are reasons why Tess has no business running a business, and so I really don't give a crap if she loses the club, in fact... I was hoping she would.

My 'What the F**k Moment' was the scene where Cher does a solo rehearsal with her DJ. He pops in a compact disc--no need to include the band in a rehearsal--and she belts out a sorrowful ballad, that just so happens, to fit her mood at the moment. This is about as close to being a true musical that, Burlesque, could ever be. The problem is that the scene felt like it was a contractual obligation, between the studio and Cher, that they just wanted to get out of the way. Unfortunately, this isn't even a song that belongs in a burlesque show, and feels completely freaking alien to the rest of the film.

In the end, what we have, as far as a movie goes, is a two hour long string of choreographed hip-hop videos--comprising roughly 70% of the screen time--loosely strung together by an absurd plot, culminating as an excuse to see provocatively clad women prancing around a stage. So why did this movie get made? From budget to box office, the movie is about ten million in the red. For that reason alone, the movie should never have been made. I think this is probably a case of a studio that miscalculated the popularity of Cher and Aguilera in their ability to draw in an audience of their fans. The only redeeming value of the film, from a guy's perspective, was that there was plenty of hot women doing hot things to keep us from falling asleep. I'd just watch pornography, however, if that's what I was after. I've certainly seen porn with equally plausible plot lines.

One huge giant cliché

[plex · 3/10 · 8 July 2011]

This movie was so bad it was funny, one giant cliché after another It reminded me of PG-rated version of Showgirls

-small town girl who slaves in a diner gets stiffed by her boss

-so she take a bus to LA to fulfill her dreams

• works as bartender at a glitzy, non-porno Burlesque club, moves in with one of the bartender, they have a crush on each other

• her roommate is an aspiring songwriter, who works on this little 2 octave keyboard and notates everything out

• she gets an audition, the boss ( Cher) who is a has-been performer, gives her a break after our starlet begs and begs.

• gratuitous gay back-stage manager

• she catches the attention of a rich patron, who tried to corrupt her, has a huge mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

• eventually the old star ( who's a drunk and a slut) of the show gets envious and quits.

• the bar is in dire financial straights, the bank is circling to foreclose.

• our new star and her roommate finally make love.

• Cher and Christina barge into the office of a wealthy land developer ( James frigging' Brolin) and convince him to buy their club.

• their club is saved, yay! happy ending ensues. Even the envious drunk slut returns to apologize in what can be compared to a very Brady moment.

Of course everything is improbable, predictable, neat and pretty ( pretty lame). The dialog is plastic and one-dimensional. Obviously this was a vehicle for Aguilera to get pushed thru the Hollywood star mechanism. I swear the girl must have had bot-ox or is on Lexipro, cause even when she smiles she has no emotion- its uncanny. She always has this vacant disconnect like no matter how hard she tries to be there- strangely she isn't.

Then there is Cher, who still looks pretty damn good for 65. She must have negotiated the solo performance in the contract. It really brought the film down to a screeching halt and served no purpose. At least no obvious Auto-Tune on her vocals this time.

I know quite a lot about burlesque, and there is very little in this film. Burlesque is a bit more risqué and a LOT less Fosse. There is no skit work,bad jokes, or pasties and only one number where the act actually strips. Actually the film doesn't foray into any explanation of burlesque at all.

Lastly, there is the music and how it ties into the film. The point of this club was the girls lip- synced to standard burlesque songs.OK, I can go along with that but then why the need for the band? Good musicians ain't cheap and in cabaret licensed club- they get union scale. Since the club was bad off financially, the band must have cost them 6K a week, and the performers are already lip-syncing so WHY KEEP A BAND?!! Of course the mixes are slick studio sounding- not live at all which is what Christina uniquely offers to the club- the ABILITY TO SING LIVE! ARGH!!

Oh, and check out the remake of Marilyn Manson's "Beautiful People" in the beginning and end credits: unforgivable.

Diva death-match

[Lejink · 3/10 · 24 July 2016]

Take a little "Fame", a bit more "Chicago", a little bit more "Dreamgirls" and a lot more "Cabaret", mix them all up, serve cold and hey presto - "Burlesque" a really very clichéd, stereotypical movie musical featuring divas from the past and present in the personae of Cher and Christina Aguilera.

You name it, almost every stock character and situation you can think of in this context is worked in and to death, the young, talented wannabe singer, her backstage, bitchy rival, the older Teflon-tough mother-hen club-owner with a heart of gold, her gay, sympathetic, through-thick-and-thin assistant manager, the grasping, super-rich property magnate out to buy out the failing club and the handsome, sympathetic barman who wouldn't you know it, is a gifted songwriter with a long-time, long-distance fiancé who puts up the young singer with predictable results.

The story really itself from all of the above in a wholly predictable manner which would be all very well if it was well acted, staged and acted but unfortunately it isn't. Cher's face us so botoxed that she can only just make her lips move to speak, Aguilera tries hard, way too hard, to impress leaving just Stanley Tucci to steal most of his scenes as everyone's shoulder-to-cry-on.

Like the aforementioned "Dreamgirls", the songs just aren't strong enough either and fail to lodge themselves in the memory in any way. When Aguilera's boy-friend near the end finally presents her with the big song he's been holding back for her, it's just a formulaic sub-disco effort. Moreover, it's ridiculous for Aguilera to make her big pitch to Cher by pleading to actually sing rather than lip-synch on the club stage, only for her to proceed to lip-synch all her own songs from then on.

The production numbers too lack the snap and imagination of "Chicago", never mind anything Bob Fosse ever created, leaving the film a rather empty construct, filled with paper-thin characters and a happy ending constructed, literally out of thin air.

This I'm afraid is one cabaret you don't want to come to.

Burlesque?

[iam-karmakiller · 3/10 · 31 May 2011]

I watched this movie last Wednesday because of a burlesque party that was organized that night. I wanted to get some inspiration for a costume, so what else to watch? If I should describe the movie in one word it would be 'fast'. The movie starts at a far away middle of nowhere town where you meet the usual-farm-girl-with-big-dreams (Christina). In 5 minutes she decides to go away and in less then five minutes she is in L.A., has an apartment and is looking for a job. The movie could better start at the minute where she arrives: that would be less fast.

The whole movie goes fast and is really predictable, but is good enough to watch when you're having a girls night 'cause you can predict everything so quickly, you won't even have to pay attention to it.

But well, doesn't Christina looks beautiful in all those costumes?

Dull, predictable and unwatchable

[lurchajn · 3/10 · 4 December 2021]

I've seen episodes of Peppa Pig with more complexity and depth.

Clearly just a vehicle for Aguilera. Pointless movie that should've just been a 5 min music video.

Let's go camp-ing!

[mirkobozic · 3/10 · 4 January 2019]

When they hit the big screen, musicians tend to rarely show any talent beyond singing. Which is why the scripts usually focus on exactly that, with the plot used as merely a filler between songs. Hence we have Tess (Cher) as the owner of a night club she's trying to save from financial ruin. The former dancer throws in a couple of her own songs for good measure, but when the smalltown girl Ali (Christina Aguilera)starts waitressing at the club and expresses a wish to move from the bar to the stage, Tess says no. Ali turns out to have spectacular pipes, which unexpectedly starts a renaissance of the joint with Ali as the star of the show, who gains a grudge with the dancer Nikki and finds a friend in Sean( Stanley Tucci, who, once again, plays the gay assitant). I don't remember the guy in a straight role. Cam Gigandet as the bar tender is walking eye candy and Ali's roommate. The story, of course, is ridiculous and so full of cliches that it's hardly difficult where the whole thing is headed. "Burlesque" is an escapist sugarbubble that's offends only those with enough movie experience to see that this vehicle is like a huge salad of combined rip-offs, like Footloose, Cabaret and Chicago. Cher is desperately trying to convince us she's got more than that one facial expression and, rather unsuccessfully, that she didn't pay for it. Christina is performance-wise certainly much closer to Jeniffer Beals than Liza Minelli, but even that's an exaggeration. The final verdict would be that this is clearly aimed at Cher's fan-base, and since there's a lot of them, unfortunately it seems that didn't necessarily translate to the box office. This might work as a part of a karaoke or a sing-along, otherwise, stay away from it.

If you are a die hard fan of Christina Aguilrea and you love hearing her singing than this is for you.

[lisafordeay · 3/10 · 27 May 2014]

I cannot believe that Cher's song beat Mandy Moore's I See the Light song at the Golden Globes a few years back. But anyway moving on from that.

Christina Aguilrea follows the likes of Mariah Cary(Glitter),Jessica Simpson(Employee of The Month),Britney Spears(Crossroads) and a few more stars who failed to become an actress while the likes of Justin Timberlake,Will Smith and Mandy Moore are now full time actors but out of the three Timberlake is still both an artist and an actor. Here Aguilrea plays Ali a girl who dreams of being a burlesque dancer in Los Angelus. Of course she does go there and meets Tess(Cher who I swear looks like Gothel from Tangled) who was also a burlesque dancer herself. But a drunk burlesque dancer called Nikki(played by Kristen Bell who stars in the most overrated movie of all time Frozen wearing a dark wig here)doesn't want Ali to shine on stage. But can Ali pull of the launderette outfit at the strip club where they lip synch and not sing? or will she use her own voice to blow them away with romance blossoming between her and Cam Gandent)?.

So what did I think of this movie. Well its not the best movie of all time and certainly not my all time favorite movie but if you like Aguilrea than check it out. The movie also stars While You Were Sleeping's Peter Gallagher,Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane who plays a ruthless property owner who also has the hots for Ali,Maid In Manhattan's Stanley Tucci(as Cher's Assistant) and Julianne Hough (from Safe Havan,sporting a red wig here too like Bell). Bottom line if you like Aguilrea than you'll like it.

I'm only giving it a 3 because it wasn't that great but for Aguilrea I give her a thumbs up for her singing.

Burlesque - 1.5 Stars

[austin-takahashi · 3/10 · 25 April 2012]

"Burlesque" is a 119-minute movie that could have worked if it trimmed down around 60 minutes of its running time and became what it really wants to be; an exceedingly long music video starring Cher and Christina Aguilera. Whenever they're not singing, the movie attempts to lure us into a story that's not even good enough to be used in, uh, music videos.

Aguilera plays Ali, a sweet young girl who works as a waitress in Iowa. This girl can sing, believe me. And dear Ali believes it too. That is why she quits her job and heads to Los Angeles hoping to fulfill her dream as a singer/dancer/performer. Ali eventually enters a club called, The Burlesque Lounge, and it is there where she wants to start.

In these early scenes, we see Christina Aguilera projecting an uncanny charm. We see minimal make-up accompanied by some… no, a lot, of clothes. Where were we? Oh, yeah. Pretty Ali desperately wants to work in Burlesque, and so she approaches Tess (Cher), the club owner, and does her best to convince Tess that she's Got What It Takes.

Read more here: http://localmoviereview.com/burlesque-movie-review/

it's a lonely stretch to stardom

[lee_eisenberg · 3/10 · 6 December 2016]

Steven Antin's "Burlesque" has a routine plot - small town girl moves to Hollywood, hoping to make it big - and some interesting musical numbers, but overall the movie is hard to recommend. Probably because it makes everything look too easy. I personally thought that Stanley Tucci's character was the most interesting one in the movie, and I also liked Alan Cumming's character. I found the rest of the characters clichéd, and the movie generally seemed like something that I've seen many times on the screen. Your time would be better spent watching something else. Hell, if you're looking for a Cher movie, there's always "Silkwood", "The Witches of Eastwick" and "Tea with Mussolini".

PS: Steven Antin played the jock in "The Goonies"

Burlesque = Moulin Rouge?

[deejayscorpion · 3/10 · 30 December 2010]

While i was watching this movie i found lots and lots of Moulin Rouge. The entire movie moves around three characters plus 1, the owner of the club. Jack was a composer who didn't had success till then, Marcus a millionaire who wanted the "attention" of Alice, Alice want to perform as a singer and dancer, then we have Tess the owner of the club.

If we look closer into the movie we will see Jack as Christian, Marcus as the Duke, Alice as Satine and Tess as Harold Zidler...Almost the entire characters of M.R. can be found in Burlesque! The only thing that is different is that Moulin Rouge action occurs in the 19th century and Burlesque in 21st...

Flashdance All Over Again.

[anaconda-40658 · 3/10 · 5 February 2016]

Burlesque (2010): Dir: Steve Antin / Cast: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane, Kristen Bell: Total xerox of Showgirls as if that is much of an inspiration. It regards expression and how a small town waitress ventured to Las Angeles in hopes of becoming a sensation. Director Steve Antin is backed by several energetic musical numbers that are full of flair but the story is just a recycled mess. Christina Aguilera is traveling familiar territory from small town to big time impressing everyone. She definitely has the pipes to carry a concert but as an actress she isn't quite as polished as someone in the heights of Cher, but as a musician she holds her own. Cher is the one solid performance as club owner struggling to pay to keep her business. We know that she will be impressed with Aguilera and ultimately save the club, but saving the film is beyond her reach. Eric Dane as the bartender whom allows Aguilera a place to crash is a complete prop. He is basically there to romance her while talking about an out of town girlfriend who is not available just enough so that it becomes unnecessary. Stanley Tucci plays Cher's gay production director who assists Aguilera while providing emotional support for Cher. Even Kristen Bell makes an appearance and all her charm cannot muster up a hint of originality. The dance numbers are not bad, and sometimes even flashy and inspiring but it is within a screenplay that is anything but inspiring. Not so much about dancing as it is its lame sidetracked subplots that we have seen in a dozen other films about hopeless dreamers. Score: 3 ½ / 10

Ugh!

[donwc1996 · 3/10 · 17 January 2012]

Oh brother, thank God I didn't spend money to see this miserable excuse for a film. Where does one begin? Okay, Cher! I was in college in 1965 when Sonny & Cher hit it big and the ole girl is still pumping em out - but my God she looks younger now then she did 45 years ago - in fact Cher has had so much plastic surgery that her face is like a mask incapable of any kind of normal human expression - yikes - bizarre to say the least! I'm sure she looks great on the stage but on film, no way Jose! Please Cher no more movies! Your time has past big time! There is a really cute scene where two guys get together and one can't remember the name of the other and Eric Dane is a always fun to look at but the story is so lame, so old, so utterly lifeless and humorless that one yearns for anything to break the pall that hovers over the story like a death watch.