Burlesque

What the heck is Burlesque? Is it some sort of cross between Cabaret and All About Eve? Is it 21st century retread of a catalog of musical theatre clichés? Is it any good? The answer to all questions is one big yes.

There’s the small town girl Ali (Christina Agulierra) who moves to the big city, which is L.A. On her first night, she finds the Burlesque Lounge, managed by its top star, Tess (Cher). She also finds a job at the lounge as a bartender, and then a promotion to dancer. She also starts living with fellow bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet).

She’s then promoted to top star thanks to the meddling of the jealous dancer Nikki (Kristen Bell). And then, she gets a potential new boyfriend named Marcus (Eric Dane), who has insidious plans for the lounge. It all happens in that order.

Its creator is Steve Antin, best known for a part in The Goonies, and as a music video director. This is his first theatrical film as director and writer. The film’s style is as if Bob Fosse started his career in the 30’s, and the Production Code did nothing to stop him. That’s how familiar much of the film is.

During the film, though, a good time is expected. The newly written songs by the likes of Aguillera, Diane Warren and even playwright John Patrick Shanley, are catchy. The script, which Antin wrote with the help of Diablo Cody, contains some amusing lines. Stanley Tucci, as Tess’s right-hand man Sean, makes for a great scene stealer especially when he’s with her.

If the film was clichéd and dated, then that wasn’t a problem for me. What was a problem for me were a few slow spots and some lack of focus in the script. But overall, this was a decent original screen musical amidst a world of Broadway adaptations.