Burlesque: Small town girl dreams of the big city life

Musicals are always fun to watch. The infusion of song, and occasionally dance, in a film lends a different tone to what would otherwise be perceived as merely drama, romance, comedy or whatever other genre it falls under.  Many musical films of the past have been declared as classics and few of which have been created recently can be seen as tributes. But, one of the interesting styles which have been adopted in recent musical films is that of stage performances; particularly cabret and burlesque.

Ali is working as a waitress in a small town diner with dreams of making it large as a singer or dancer in a big city. She abruptly quits her job and leaves for Los Angeles with no plan for the future but no hint at looking back either. After scanning through classified advertisements and being turned down at very job, she finds herself standing outside the doors of a burlesque club. She is enticed to walk in and finds the atmosphere enthralling. She begs the owner, Tess, for a job as a performer but her only respite is a position as a waitress which is given to her by the bartender Jack. She tends to the customers, flirts with Jack - who is engaged - and learns the routines of the female performers until she finally gets her big break in the form of one of the performers getting pregnant. Her brilliant audition gets her the job and eventually lands her in the spotlight after her boss decides to model the entire show on her ability to sing. Ali begins to shine in the limelight but makes an enemy by taking the headliner spot away from Nikki. She also receives attention from Marcus who is trying to buy the club away from Tess as she risks foreclosure. Ali has to struggle between her love for Jack, her awe for Marcus, her loyalty to Tess and her rivalry with Nikki to come out on top at the end.

Burlesque is a 2010 musical film which was written and directed by Steve Antin. The film was the debut for lead actress Christina Aguilera while the rest of the cast had relevant experience in acting in Hollywood films, television shows and other entertainment platforms. The other actors include Cher, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Eric Dane, Dianna Agron, Julianne Hough, Kristen bell and others. Aguilera as the star of the film does a decent job. Her acting skills are limited but she does put on a good show with her singing and her dance performances. While Aguilera has sung most of the songs in the film, the vocals of two songs were provided by the mature voice of Cher.

Unfortunately, the only element in the film that stood out was the music and performances. The story of the film is a terrible cliché. It features a small town girl who is trying to make it big in the city while struggling with her personal life and love triangle; a concept which is done to the death. The finale of the film can be guessed from the very first dialogue itself which leaves the entire experience of watching the film to be a bust.

If someone were to watch the film only for the songs and performances, it would still be a terrible disappointment and waste of time. This film does not rank anywhere in the realm of a tribute and doesn’t do much for the audience. Not one to be watched over and over again; or at all for that matter.