Burlesque

Small town girl dreaming of a life of fame and fortune.  To many it is a distant dream that never becomes a reality - that is, unless your Christina Aguilera.

Musicals have always been hit or miss with me.  The songs weigh heavily in my mind, as does the choreography, but at the heart of it all the film has to have a story.  While Steven Antin's Burlesque contains all three qualities (as well as two diva-rich actors) I was mildly disappointed with the end result.

Focused heavily on the production value of the musical numbers the film fails to ignite after the music stops.  I do credit Aguilera with a strong debut performance, but it is her voice that carries her through most of the film.  Cher is an underused resource in terms of both song and dance, but for some reason I wasn't that surprised by this.  Instead, what surprised me most was the lack of heart and emotion.  The film was supposed to be about the love and admiration of performing, something I never saw with either of our two leads.

Stanley Tucci does what he does best as he steals every scene he is in.  Kristen Bell and Julianne Hough show support of our leading ladies as members of the dance troupe, and Eric Dane and Cam Gigandet provide some much needed testosterone throughout the nearly two hour film.

The bonus features aren't half bad here, but aren't worth the price of the disc.  If you love musicals, Burlesque will prove to be entertaining, but in no way a sure fire hit.  I imagine it would make for a great drinking game, one that I will have to try during my next viewing.