Nine

Nine

What a pity. If ever there was a movie that proves unequal to the sum of its parts, it's Nine. Just look at the talent involved: the director is Rob Marshall, who breathed new life into musicals with the excellent Chicago, the screenplay was adapted by pros Michael Tolkin (The Player) and Anthony Minghella (the late writer-director of English Patient). The film features one of the best All-Star casts in recent cinema, with Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Sophia Loren, Marion Cotillard, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, and Fergie. Look at that - there are SIX Oscar winners in the film. The lighting, the sets, the cinematography, everything is done by the best professionals.

So why doesn't it work? I don't know. But maybe I should back up a minute first, and describe the plot. Based on the musical that is in turn based on Fellini's classic 8 1/2 that is in turn based on Fellini's own personal life, Nine tells the story of Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), a famous Italian director who is about to start production on his new film in just few days. The problem is, he has no script, no story, and no clue what to do. He can't concentrate because he is wracked with guilt and obsession with the various women in his life - his wife (Cotillard), his lover (Cruz), his leading lady (Kidman), his mother (Loren), memories of the prostitute that danced for him when he was a child (Fergie), and the hot reporter who wants to jump into his bed (Hudson). Only his costume designer (Dench) seems to have any sort of calming influence over him. But he just can't stop thinking about these other ladies!

So what's the problem? I have never seen the Broadway show on which it is based, but that might be the root for what's wrong here - for a musical, all the music seems, well, uninteresting and simply going through the motions. And it seems like Marshall realizes this because the musical sequences are mostly blah, blah, same old same old. I don't want to accuse Marshall of not caring, but it really does seem like he went through the film like, "oh, is it time for a song again? Okay, let's put some pink lights up. That worked in Chicago."

This is a shame because the non-musical parts of the movie are actually pretty good - well filmed, very well-written (go Tolkin and Minghella!), witty, entertaining and featuring a wonderful recreation of 1960s Italy. But alas, it is a musical and to the bad musical numbers we return to. This is probably blasphemy for fans of the Broadway show, but the songs just aren't really that good. They are for the most part completely unmemorable, with no decent melodies or hummable themes. There are a few exceptions, as always - Sophia Loren sings a cute, little lullaby, Kate Hudson's 'Cinema Italiano' is a fun little sequence (it's not a very good song, but at least that scene has terrific energy), and then there is the one show stopper, "Be Italian," the big cue that also happens to be the only song in the film with a good hook. This sequence, sung with power and gusto with Fergie, is what the rest of the film should have been.

I want to make this clear - my complaints about the movie do not in any way extend to the actors themselves. From what I've read, they poured blood, sweat and tears into their roles and they truly do earn their paychecks. There is not a weak link in the bunch. Every single one of the All-Star cast brings their game, and if they pick up some awards for their work, I think that is terrific. I also award bonus points to Daniel Day-Lewis for being able to keep his Italian accent while singing. That was impressive. Shame the songs and Rob Marshall's staging let the actors down...

I know this sounds like a bad review and as a musical, "Nine" really does fail. But I did not regret seeing it because the non-musical scenes are really pretty solid. I would almost recommend seeing the film on the strength of those scenes. There is also the matter of Marion Cotillard, who you will read more about in my MVP!

MVP: Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies) almost saves the movie. Her performance is so heartfelt and so real, you cannot help but love her in this film. She takes what could have been the mopey one-dimensional wronged wife and gives her humor, grace, wit, passion, and anger. She creates a fully realized human being. Despite everything I said above about the songs not being great, I didn't mention hers because it is a stunner in its own way. "My Husband Makes Movies" is all about her loneliness. She sings it in her head, ironically while surrounded by her husband and friends. What is so brilliant is that she does not sing the song, she ACTS it. Her voice cracks, it goes weak, it strengthens as she strengthens and then wilts as her loneliness crowds in on her again, suffocating her. It is an astonishing performance and for me - a grumpy rat bastard who never cries at anything...well, I wasn't sobbing. But I'd be lying if I didn't say I was getting a bit misty-eyed. Cotillard might pick up a nomination, but she won't win even if she deserves to. For me, it wasn't just the best performance of the movie. It was the best performance of the year.


TRIVIA: I'll give this to Rob Marshall - he can pick a cast. This movie is full of brilliant actors, and they weren't even all his first choices! Renee Zellweger was supposed to play the mistress that Cruz ended up playing, Catherine Zeta-Jones was cast as the actress before she backed out over the script and was replaced by Kidman, and Javier Bardem was to be Guido Contini but changed his mind early on. I like the cast Marshall ended up with, but it's interesting to see who almost got the parts...


BEST LINE: Back to Cotillard - during one of their arguments, you get this stunner of a line from wife Luisa Contini:

"You're just an appetite, and if you stop being greedy you'd die...you take everything, and I'm empty."

OSCAR NOMINATIONS: Best Supporting Actress, (Cruz), Best Art Direction, Costume Design, and Original Song ("Take It All")


Also, there is a review of the soundtrack CD at http://www.soundtrackdb.com/soundtrack/12070/nine-soundtrack