Burlesque (2010)

4/5

Burlesque is a pretty spectacular musical. (I guess technically it's not a musical because the characters never really break into song and dance; it's just part of their performance.) The movie stars Christina Aguilera as Ali, a small-town girl who wants to hit it big in LA. She discovers a burlesque lounge owned and operated by Tess (Cher) and is instantly mesmerized by it. She tries everything to get on stage and dance with them, but settles for waitressing there just so she can watch. She befriends the bartender (Gigandet) and, after her apartment gets broken into, becomes his roommate. She finally gets her chance to show everyone what she has when they hold auditions. They find it impossible to take their eyes off her. And you will too.

The songs are a mix of old-school show tunes and more modern, upbeat songs. Both are excellent, although I definitely preferred the newer songs. Cher's "Welcome to Burlesque" had me stunned from the very beginning of the movie. Christina Aguilera's "Show Me How You Burlesque" closes the film off with the same flair. Both will leave you in awe. The dancing is fantastic all around, but none of the numbers impressed me as much as those two songs did on their own. None of the other songs did either, even though several of them stood out ("Express," "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me"). If you're looking for a movie with great singing and dancing, then this is the movie to watch.

The rest of the technical aspects were a mixed bag. The cinematography and editing were better than I expected them to be, but there were some noticeable areas where it could have been improved. The acting was pretty good for the most part--especially the side characters--but there is this one scene between Aguilera and Gigandet that was laughably bad. I was actually laughing during it, to the point where my girlfriend got mad at me for it. That scene alone made me consider dropping it down to 3 stars. Overall, definitely recommended for any musical fan. And for any fan of Cher or Christina, this is a must-see.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1126591/

Stuck on You (2003)

3/5

The Farrelly brothers' Stuck on You is a surprisingly tender comedy about two conjoined twins who own the Quikee Burger fast food joint. Walt (Kinnear) wants to be an actor, while Bob (Damon) enjoys running their restaurant. They each find their true loves in Eva Mendes and Wen Yann Shih respectively, although not immediately and not without obstacles on the way. Through random events, they end up meeting both Cher and Meryl Streep, who unintentionally and unexpectedly skyrocket Walt's career. His fame causes a rift between the two brothers, but the movie ends with a happy ever after.

There were far more hilarious, clever, and subtle moments and far fewer gimmicky, simple jokes than I would've thought. The plot was remarkably unpredictable, although that was partially because most of the movie seemed to happen by chance. The characters were surprisingly nuanced and sympathetic, although they often acted in a very slapstick and over-the-top manner. All in all, I had a great time watching this movie and would definitely recommend you not change the channel if and when it comes on TV.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338466/