jhsteel

I think this movie will suit anyone who loved Moulin Rouge. Unfortunately I didn't and this movie suffered from the same drawbacks for me. It was too garish, loud and modern in it's soundtrack. I love the era of the 1920s and love the music as well, so I would have preferred some suitable music. Baz Luhrmann's flair is well known and he is very talented. The cast are very good and the story (as far as I know) was shown well. But it didn't suit me and so I can't rate it highly. I love Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire, and I liked most of the other cast members. Leonardo DiCaprio is now an established mature actor and having recently seen The Aviator, his Gatsby reminded me of Howard Hughes in terms of his excesses (although not in his paranoia). Just a cautionary note that the visuals are very hectic and this is not your typical costume drama, but the anyone who know Luhrmann's style should know that.

This has a familiar feel to it and a few of Richard Curtis's romantic comedy tricks turn up, but it is actually sufficiently original and different. The characters are believable and the two leads are excellent, although some of the scenarios seem extreme. But then it's a romantic comedy. It works well and delivers a result which could have happened. London is used as a backdrop and the South Bank features, which was one aspect which made me think of Richard Curtis (he used the South Bank in 4 Weddings and a Funeral). Rory Kinnear is hilarious and scary but ultimately plays an important role.

An entertaining and funny film, quite short and punchy, with likable characters.

In the light of the sad demise of Debbie Reynolds, I was keen to see this film, since I had never seen anything with Debbie and her husband Eddie Fisher. It's a very silly film unfortunately and the suspension of disbelief is so drastic that I find it very difficult to deal with. We are supposed to believe that in the 1950s a woman can suddenly produce a 1 year-old child, having had a full-time job, no one noticed that she was pregnant, she wasn't off work, no one looks after the child, she doesn't know the name or gender of her own child, and her employer is happy for her. At the same time, she is denying that she is the mother of the child and no one believes her!

Apparently everyone was very broadminded and didn't understand how human reproduction works. I was born in the 1960-s and my adopted brother in 1970, at which time there was still a huge stigma to single mothers. In the 50s it would have been worse. I assume that audiences for this film would have just bought it as pure fantasy.

Apart from that, it was a fun film, apart from the songs which are not memorable. Debbie Reynolds is a legend. Eddie Fisher on the other hand, seemed rather underwhelming.