Nine is a hard film to review, because it defines its problems without solving any. Guido Contini (an excellent Daniel Day-Lewis) is a director who lacks direction, a writer with nothing to say, an artist whose muses have stopped inspiring him. When he reaches that point, what can he do? Instead of taking time off or waiting for a new idea, Guido dives headfirst into a project with no sense of what to do. He's a man defined by the women in his life, and as he searches for the soul of his project, he goes from one to another. That's as far as the plot goes, which would be fine if the characters had depth, but unfortunately, few of them do.
Just like Guido, the film is defined by the women who pop up along the way. Each of the women (such as Guido's wife, mistress, mother, costume designer, and childhood beach stripper) has a big, flashy song-and-dance number in the vein of Chicago's fantasy musical sequences, not surprising as Rob Marshall helmed both films. The numbers themselves are beautifully designed, shot, and edited, but the music largely falls flat. Fergie (yes, Fergie) and Kate Hudson get the best songs, though Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard also impress with their material. Judi Dench delivers a strong performance, while Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman fail to leave any sort of lasting impression. Penelope Cruz gives a typical performance, not at all deserving of the awards attention she has been receiving.
It's hard to swallow that the frustration that's inherent to Guido's character is a central focus of the film, because it often makes it painful to watch. It's not fun to watch a film director mope around and not make any decisions, but it does allow the viewer to understand the situation more. Focusing on the difficulty of creating something meaningful and honest and beautiful certainly resonates, but because Guido has no inkling of where his film is going, there isn't even a chance to really get behind him. The only parts of the impending production intact are the set and costumes, but the story is nonexistent. It's an unfortunate irony.
Still, despite its narrative inadequacies, Nine impresses on a visual level. The costumes are gorgeous and numerous, the main set is epic but believable and lends itself well to the various musical numbers. The technical construction is impressive, particularly during the songs, which often contain a montage of reality and fantasy, past and present, and black- and-white and color, adding more depth and a more dynamic feel to the repetitive musical motifs.
Nine is definitely an instance of style over substance, which isn't necessarily surprising in the musical genre. It's just unfortunate that such a vast pool of talented actors didn't get better material to work with. There are moments that are unspeakably beautiful (the opening scene is one of the best of the year), but for every moment like that, there are two that fail to impress. I want to love it, but I can't.
6/10
Just like Guido, the film is defined by the women who pop up along the way. Each of the women (such as Guido's wife, mistress, mother, costume designer, and childhood beach stripper) has a big, flashy song-and-dance number in the vein of Chicago's fantasy musical sequences, not surprising as Rob Marshall helmed both films. The numbers themselves are beautifully designed, shot, and edited, but the music largely falls flat. Fergie (yes, Fergie) and Kate Hudson get the best songs, though Day-Lewis and Marion Cotillard also impress with their material. Judi Dench delivers a strong performance, while Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman fail to leave any sort of lasting impression. Penelope Cruz gives a typical performance, not at all deserving of the awards attention she has been receiving.
It's hard to swallow that the frustration that's inherent to Guido's character is a central focus of the film, because it often makes it painful to watch. It's not fun to watch a film director mope around and not make any decisions, but it does allow the viewer to understand the situation more. Focusing on the difficulty of creating something meaningful and honest and beautiful certainly resonates, but because Guido has no inkling of where his film is going, there isn't even a chance to really get behind him. The only parts of the impending production intact are the set and costumes, but the story is nonexistent. It's an unfortunate irony.
Still, despite its narrative inadequacies, Nine impresses on a visual level. The costumes are gorgeous and numerous, the main set is epic but believable and lends itself well to the various musical numbers. The technical construction is impressive, particularly during the songs, which often contain a montage of reality and fantasy, past and present, and black- and-white and color, adding more depth and a more dynamic feel to the repetitive musical motifs.
Nine is definitely an instance of style over substance, which isn't necessarily surprising in the musical genre. It's just unfortunate that such a vast pool of talented actors didn't get better material to work with. There are moments that are unspeakably beautiful (the opening scene is one of the best of the year), but for every moment like that, there are two that fail to impress. I want to love it, but I can't.
6/10