I could rave about the plot, the direction, the way the songs were perfectly blended in this movie -- if others hadn't already done so.
But there are so many other things left to rave about. Let's start with the performances -- Ewan McGregor's tortured, idealistic writer, Nicole Kidman's cynical whore, only discovering real love in her final days, Richard Roxburgh's effete but still strangely chilling duke, and perhaps, best of all Jim Broadbent, as Zidler -- a mixture of exhibitionism, predatory avarice, and genuine, touching emotion. If he isn't nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar, there is no justice in the world.
There's the way surrealism shifts and twists and becomes almost normality
There's the way the movie pays homage, in fleeting glimpses, to both films and musicals gone by, in a Pratchettesque way -- a hint of Cabaret, a seasoning of Rocky Horror, a flavour of The Boyfriend whirled up with a generous helping of silent movie and Busby Berkeley, so you are never quite sure if it was intentional or not (but you suspect it is).
There's the audacity. How does anyone dare to make a genuine musical in this day and age, when the last truly successful one was more than 25 years ago?
And finally, there's one last thing. There's the... well the joke, almost. Moulin Rouge is celebrated as a musical for the 21st Century, one that the teens and early twenties can love and connect with -- and it's all that. But behind the glitz and the CGI effects and the clever camera angles, this is a musical for my generation, the mid-thirties to mid forties. It's no problem for us to seamlessly integrate those songs with the action -- they were the soundtrack of our youth. We yearned to fly away with Randy Crawford. We were Children of the Revolution with T-Rex we remember Bowie belting out the words, and believing that he was right, and we could be heroes, just for one day .With the exception of Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend every last song comes from sometime between my childhood and my early twenties. And using them this way -- it's perfect.
So, teens, if your parents haven't seen this movie, nag them into it -- they'll adore it, I guarantee.