Synopsis: A young woman from Iowa (Christina Aguilera) moves to Los Angeles, takes a job at a burlesque house and becomes its star attraction. Unfortunately, the business is about to be repossessed by the bank.
What I liked about this movie: If nothing else, the song and dance numbers (complete with women wearing lingerie) were entertaining to watch. There was plenty of color and the performances were definitely upbeat.
The plot itself was a bit familiar and I was going to complain about it being too predictable. However, after some reflection, I realized it was actually the smart thing to do because the movie is really more about the performances and the main plot is really secondary. The writers made the right choice not making things too complicated.
Also, even though I’m not a huge Cher fan (I don’t hate her but I won’t rent a movie just because she’s in it), I was very impressed with her one solo about mid-way through the movie. She is a very talented singer and I’m glad the movie took the time to remind us of that.
What I didn’t like about the movie: There’s just way too much Christina. This is a movie with a decent-sized cast that includes a legendary singer (Cher) and some other familiar names (Alan Cumming and Kristen Bell to name a couple) but there were times when I felt like I was watching a Christina Aguilera concert and not a movie. At very least, it would have been nice to see her and Cher in a duet.
Also, even though the song and dance numbers (with half naked women) were entertaining to watch, I realized they weren’t very memorable. Normally, with a movie like this, there’s at least one song that will stick in your head. That didn’t happen this time (though I did have the Dora the Explorer theme song stuck in my head half the night).
Final Opinion: I liked the movie but I didn’t love it. And I’m not even sure I’ll remember anything about it a week from now.
Average Netflix Grade: 3.7 stars out of a possible 5.
My Grade: 3 stars.