film review : nine

Courtney Dawson is joining the lip team as a film reviewer. Expect regular reviews of both blockbusters and indie features, updated here!

not quite Nine out of ten

Director Rob Marshall’s second musical feature Nine (released eight years after the success of Chicago) follows the story of a once brilliant, but now somewhat troubled Italian director called Guido, (played by Daniel Day Lewis) who encounters significant difficulties in producing his next big hit. While the plot of Nine is simplistic, it is easy to follow, and the only thing that confused me was the significance of its title – it may be linked to the fact that the film’s narrative draws upon Fellini’s partly autobiographical masterpiece, 8 1/2. Perhaps a more suitable title would have been Seven; the number of award winning female stars/characters in the film.

The structure of Nine is thankfully original – while Guido attempts to work on his new film Italia, his mind frequently wanders into an alternate fantasy world in which the various women in his life perform musical numbers. These women include: his lover (Penelope Cruz), his deceased mother (Sophia Loren), his wife (the beautiful Marion Cotillard), his lead actress (Nicole Kidman), his friend and costume designer (Judi Dench), a prostitute from his youth (Fergie), and a young fashion writer (Kate Hudson).

It could be argued that the film is misogynistic, as there is a strong distinction between the ways in which the female characters are portrayed – they are divided into the women Guido is interested in sexually (who are cast as sexual objects), and those who he is not (his mother, his wife, and his costume designer who are always dressed elegantly and conservatively). Indeed, the first musical moment occurs when Guido has checked into a hotel and receives a call from his lover played by Cruz. This scene focuses solely on the seductive and sexual nature of the actress – she is dressed in a tight corset, while various close up shots focus on her female attributes which may fortuitously distract viewers from the fact that she is clearly lip-sinking. Some of the songs are performed better than others, and while I am not a fan of Fergie’s music, it is clear that she is the only real ‘singer’ in the film. Kidman’s musical performance is bleak and somber, while Hudson’s musical number is overly extravagant and somewhat cheesy.

Despite its flaws, viewers will enjoy the costumes, the shots of 1960s Rome, the bright lighting, and Cotillard’s acting – she brilliantly portrayed a woman overwhelmed by her husband’s neglect and impending downfall.

Overall, however, the film is far from a nine out of ten.