Nine is a slick, sexy musical with great musical numbers and strong performances from its star-studded cast. At first, I thought the film would be a mess with too many characters to keep up with. But that is not the case. Every actor has their part and their own musical performance. Each actor gets their time to shine, and all of them succeed.
This musical is about famous film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) and he is struggling in his personal and professional life. Contini has had great success in Italy as a director, but his last few films have been flops. So he starts on his next film that is going to catapult him back to the top. However, just days away from shooting it, there is no story or script. There is practically no film at all. On top of that, his personal life is falling apart. His wife (Marion Cotillard) loves him, but he is always away “working.” Usually, Contini is “working” with his mistress (Penelope Cruz). He also has his main actress/muse (Nicole Kidman) and his costume designer/confidant (Judi Dench) to deal with.
What is great about Nine is that the film is telling a story of how Contini works and operates. The audience is given an inside look at his life and all of the women around him. The women he has made love to or wants to make love to, the women he is in love with, and the woman, his mother (Sophia Loren), who has shaped him in to the man he is today and who he misses very much. All of these women and their musical performances tell a story of how they feel about Contini and the part they play in his life. It is a film that is telling a story within another story. Kate Hudson and Fergie round out the talented cast. And make no mistake, all of these great actors can do it all. Act, sing, and dance is the triple threat and all of them are just that.
Rob Marshall has gone back to his roots. Marshall directed Chicago and uses his same technique on this film. Marshall was a dancer so he is very involved with the choreography and all of the dance movements. Every single musical performance is superb. The dancing and singing is fantastic. The set pieces and lighting bring out the colors and beauty of each scene. A friend of mine said the film was a piece of art and I would have to agree. It is art on the screen. Italy has an important role all on its own. Every location is breathtaking. It really adds to the look and feel of the film. Like Italy, the film is classy and sophisticated, and very entertaining.
This leads me to Day-Lewis. I have talked about the women in this film, but not the man. Day-Lewis is one of the greatest actors working today and one of the best of the decade. His two recent performances in There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York are nothing short of incredible. And he does not disappoint in this one. He plays a talented director trying to get his career back on track and his personal life back in shape. Lewis plays a charming, funny guy who loves women. But he forgets about the most important woman in his life, his wife Luisa. And who knew that the great Day-Lewis was a pretty good singer? I suppose he can do just about anything.
Nine is a great film that is entertaining on several different levels. Also, it is a musical that is stylish and artful, and captures great performances from the entire cast. But no one shines more in this film than Day-Lewis and Cotillard as Guido and Luisa Contini. Marshall has an excellent vision when it comes to films, especially musicals. He is a dedicated director and was able to get great actors to do great things. He gets everything right in Nine.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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