I watched this movie with low hopes, since admittedly I don't like musicals (Moulin Rouge and Romance & Cigarettes are the exceptions). This isn't bad, it's just fluff with everyone dancing and a happy ending. The story is fine, the directing is pretty good, the acting in worth watching, the wardrobe, cinematography and sets are all OK, and the editing is mediocre.
Even if the story is clichéd and very moralistic, it's entertaining. The characters aren't really well written, but they're well played and so it's not too noticeable. The dialogs and relationships between the characters are very predictable. It lacks meaning and it seems like it has nothing to say, it just wants entertain a bit.
The actors all work effectively, but the clichéd characters don't help. Renee Zellweger looks a bit uncomfortable while dancing, but she can express the contradictions, feelings and transformations of her character quite well. Catherine Zeta Jones isn't half as sexy as her character is meant to be, but she uses her eyes, body and voice in an interesting, sometimes funny way. Richard Gere can be annoying but charming and John C Reilly has the most likable, touching character, even if awfully stereotyped. Queen Latifah nomination for Best Supporting Actress is a total joke, she did nothing worth seeing.
The main problem I have with this is that question that always comes to my mind when watching a musical: "Why the heck is everyone dancing all of sudden?". As the movie didn't absorb me, I just found it ridiculous. Still, I admit these were well choreographed, even if too theater like. This feels like a stage play, not like a film, so the adaptation isn't really good. The lyrics and the dances go from very good to laughable.
The direction is good but... well, let's just say it's classic and without brilliance or originality. The colors of the movie, glamorous and fluffy, fit the rest of it and accentuate the glamour. The editing is far from good, I can't see how it won the Oscar. Everyone just seems to start dancing out of no where, without any type of real connection. The sets are too much like stage play ones but the wardrobe is fitting. This didn't deserve Best Pic, far from it, it's just an OK movie.
Even if the story is clichéd and very moralistic, it's entertaining. The characters aren't really well written, but they're well played and so it's not too noticeable. The dialogs and relationships between the characters are very predictable. It lacks meaning and it seems like it has nothing to say, it just wants entertain a bit.
The actors all work effectively, but the clichéd characters don't help. Renee Zellweger looks a bit uncomfortable while dancing, but she can express the contradictions, feelings and transformations of her character quite well. Catherine Zeta Jones isn't half as sexy as her character is meant to be, but she uses her eyes, body and voice in an interesting, sometimes funny way. Richard Gere can be annoying but charming and John C Reilly has the most likable, touching character, even if awfully stereotyped. Queen Latifah nomination for Best Supporting Actress is a total joke, she did nothing worth seeing.
The main problem I have with this is that question that always comes to my mind when watching a musical: "Why the heck is everyone dancing all of sudden?". As the movie didn't absorb me, I just found it ridiculous. Still, I admit these were well choreographed, even if too theater like. This feels like a stage play, not like a film, so the adaptation isn't really good. The lyrics and the dances go from very good to laughable.
The direction is good but... well, let's just say it's classic and without brilliance or originality. The colors of the movie, glamorous and fluffy, fit the rest of it and accentuate the glamour. The editing is far from good, I can't see how it won the Oscar. Everyone just seems to start dancing out of no where, without any type of real connection. The sets are too much like stage play ones but the wardrobe is fitting. This didn't deserve Best Pic, far from it, it's just an OK movie.