Released 2001
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Starring:
Ewan McGregor
Nicole Kidman
John Leguizamo
Okay, so "Moulin Rouge" is kind of a girl movie. It's a romantic musical with enough of an edge to not seem so much like the corny horrible old musicals that just give me nightmares of shiny happy people bursting out into song. Musicals are generally just plain creepy, but Moulin Rouge is not a horrible skin-crawling experience that causes flashbacks to high school productions of "Annie", as I thought it might be upon hearing that it was a musical.
The music tells the story in this visual extravaganza about a naive young boy, Christian, who moves to Paris to become a Bohemian writer. He meets Toulouse Lautrec who introduces him to Satine, the star courtesan of the Moulin Rouge (a high-class prostitute). She falls in love with him, but has to seduce an evil Duke in order to keep her job and become a real actress, as the Moulin is being converted into a theater with the Duke's money.
Baz Luhrman uses music from across the 20th century to portray Christian's talent for brilliant poetry. Drawing from sources as varied as Elton John and Nirvana, he really shows the Moulin Rouge for the crazy, wild nightclub that it was.
Moulin Rouge isn't a kids' movie because of the subject matter. Beyond that, it has very little nudity and no foul language. This is one that I readily recommend to anyone. Entertaining and fun.
