"Burlesque" is not a good movie, but it makes for a fantastic extended music video.
It's certainly less pretentious than Kanye West's recent long−form video "Runaway," although no one could wonder if "Burlesque" is art. Pure entertainment is the goal of this film, and past the glitz and trivial plot, great vocals deliver that in full.
One doesn't even have to see "Burlesque" to know its basic story by heart. A generic small−town girl — in this case, her name is Ali (Christina Aguilera) — goes to the big city to get her big break. Along the way, she must come to terms with the big matriarchal boss (Cher), fight the big rival (Kristen Bell) and get the big love interest (Cam Gigandet).
The plot does the same old song and dance, the audience sings along by heart and fakes a nice, big gasp when appropriate, and in the last 10 minutes or so, everything falls into place for a big happy ending to the movie.
But watching this movie for the plot or the writing is a big mistake. "Burlesque," like most guilty pleasures, is not about such trivialities. Whatever portion of the budget went to the writing was hopefully see−through small, because there isn't a single line that doesn't feel like it was stolen from some other script — and a bad script, at that.
But that's all right — "Burlesque" doesn't pretend to be anything other than a vehicle for its starring singers, Aguilera and Cher, and hey, a plot like this is cheaper than popcorn.
An unexpected treat, given the quality of the dialogue, is the strength of the supporting cast. The love interest, Gigandet, has genuinely good on−screen chemistry with Aguilera, and their interactions mark some of the few points where the inexperienced Aguilera shows any potential for, well, acting. To be fair to Aguilera, though, the dialogue allowed her little chance to prove herself.
Stanley Tucci, meanwhile, absolutely kills every scene he is given, despite his highly cliched role as stage manager and sassy gay friend. It's a shame that the script could not make more of his obvious talent, but it shows his strength as an actor that he could transform the little he had to work with into something delightful.
But really, this movie should be watched for one thing and one thing only: the music.
Aguilera's superior vocals are the reason Cher, whose theatrical performance at times reaches actual emotional poignancy, is not the star of this show. This will most likely disappoint Cher fans, despite the power of two original numbers she does have. "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," in particular, is a particularly striking power ballad.
How one feels about Aguilera is what really makes or breaks this movie. Aguilera's soulful voice is the crux of "Burlesque," and all the skimping done on the story is repaid tenfold to bolster her numbers.
"Express," in particular, is a fierce song in which Aguilera's full range is displayed; it is enhanced by wonderful choreography. Just as great, if not greater, is "But I Am a Good Girl," in which the influence of "Cabaret" (1972) can be heard and seen.
The whole production certainly owes a great deal to "Cabaret," but is considerably tamer than its predecessor. "Burlesque" has no edge of the sort that makes "Cabaret" a masterpiece. It earns its PG−13 rating not just for its sophomoric sophistication, but also for its vanilla visuals. The film tones down the definition of burlesque to keep itself planted well away from movies like "Showgirls" (1995).
What all this amounts to, then, is a movie that simply doesn't take any risks. Compared to contemporary musical films such as "Moulin Rouge!" (2001) or "Chicago" (2002), it can't compete. Taken just as it is, however, it becomes difficult not to like. It demands nothing more than an audience who will sit back, take its heartwarming story and maybe chuckle at Tucci's performance now and again.
If you do that, "Burlesque" is basically a two−hour Christina Aguilera concert, with a bit of Cher for good measure. If all you expect is entertainment, then "Burlesque" is an excellent way to sing away stress as finals approach.
