Why So Blu?

‘Nine’ Brilliant To The Last

If 2010 proves to be a year scarred by a multitude of bad films (which I don’t think will be the case), I will always have the Broadway-based Nine to make my top ten list.  Starring Daniel Day Lewis as the overworked and oversexed film director Guido Contini, the man is surrounded by a barrage of talented and gorgeous female co-stars.  Before I run down the roster of who’s who in the film, let me inform you that these women didn’t just act in the film, they danced and did their own singing as well.  I was going to say, “For these actresses  who aren’t known for their singing, they did well enough to get by,” but that would be lying.  What I will say is for these actresses who aren’t known for their singing, they did a better job than most of the recording artists found on today’s albums.  

You will find Marion Cotillard in the film as Contini’s wife, along with Contini’s mistress, Carla, played by the stunning Penelope Cruz.  Also appearing is the Black Eyed Peas’ Fergie (Stacy Ferguson) with Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman and the legendary Sophia Loren.  With a lineup like that, I bet payroll must have almost been as much as a Paris Hilton birthday party.  Nevertheless, investors in this film got their money’s worth in the performances that were given.  Each woman plays a pillar of a role in the film, each vitally supportive in the story at hand.

After a string of box office disasters, Contini is about to embark on his latest work titled Italia.  Unfortunately, the Italian film mastermind is having a director’s equivalent of writer’s block.  He’s running tight against a deadline and while his life is filled with many things, not one of them is a script for his latest endeavor.  The many women in the film, while often playful jaunts, are also obstacles that keep him from his duties.  While they appear as many a muse in Contini’s eyes, they are often that quite the contrary for his vault of creativity, serving as more distraction than anything.

The acting is stellar in this musical production carried onward by an equally strong story.  The performances all around are purely entertaining and enveloping.  Whether it is the elegance of Sophia Loren gracing the screen, Penelope Cruz’s sexual playfulness or Kate Hudson’s go-go moves on the catwalk, Nine gift-wraps a great production that showcases that multiple talents of some of Hollywood’s most famous actresses.  Ah yes, there was a male in the film.  Daniel Day Lewis is certainly worthy of an Oscar nod for his work in this movie.  His portrayal of a man who is sometimes on the run from himself is convincing to the end, as is the Italian accent which is strongly consistent throughout.  Nine is definitely worthy of your cinema dollars and gets an A- from me.