REVIEW: ‘Nine’

While the movie musical is revered in Hollywood, it fell out of favor in the Eighties and Nineties, as audiences (or studios) felt they were old-fashioned, lacking realism or dramatic punch. The last few years have seen a resurgence in reviving the genre, and Rob Marshall has risen to the top of the musical heap – first, with his adaptation of “Chicago,” and now raising the bar with “Nine.”

“Nine” Rated PG-13 • 118 minutes Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie Directed by: Rob Marshall Written By: Anthony Minghella and Michael Tolkin RCC Rating: Worth Full Price On Opening Weekend

Stemming from the autobiographical Federico Fellini film “8 1/2,” “Nine” started as a Tony award-winning musical revolving around Guido Contini. A legend in Italian cinema, Contini (Daniel-Day Lewis) is staring down a midlife crisis that is crippling his creative process, and the buildup to his next movie, which has no script and no characters. Additionally, Contini’s struggling to balance the women in his life – his wife (Marion Cotillard), his mistress (Penélope Cruz), his leading actress (Nicole Kidman), his longtime costume designer (Judi Dench), even the spectre of his late mother (Sophia Loren) are all pulling him in different directions.

“Nine” is a feast of vibrant filmmaking, full of the verve of 1960s Italy and the post-war grooviness of Europe. It’s the era of mod fashion, and cinematographer Dion Beebe captures it to perfection.

It doesn’t hurt that Beebe’s camera loves the entire cast. Even at his disheveled worst, Daniel Day-Lewis has lost none of his magentic presence onscreen. Marion Cotillard is radiant as Contini’s wife, Luisa, and if there’s been a hotter sequence than when we first meet Penelope Cruz’s Carla in recent film, I’ve missed it entirely.

(A small bit of irony that, while the characters are all Italian, each performer save Loren is every nationality except Italian.)

So… what about the music? The thing that throws some people off of musicals is the jarring transition between the scripted narrative and the songs that make up the centerpieces. Rob Marshall understands the dynamic between the two, and does a masterful job moving between them. There’s also the matter of staging: when watching a musical live, you’re confined to the stage space. Marshall’s twist on the transition is clever, using a film’s soundstage for numbers like “Be Italian,” where the song works better separated from the film’s timeline.

Incidentally, “Be Italian” is the biggest eye-opener of the movie – not just because it’s the strongest sequence in the film, but for Fergie’s performance. I haven’t been a fan of her work in the past, but she belts this song out as if she were possessed by some of the legends of Broadway. She’s not in the film much, but Fergie sucker-punched me when she was there.

The opposite end of the spectrum is Nicole Kidman. Her diva, Saraghina, is alluded to throughout the film as an amazing performer that Contini would not be able to work without. However, Kidman comes across as nothing more than a pretty face, brittle and expressionless. Her turn as Saraghina is sadly empty, and off-putting.

Studios rarely make movies like “Nine,” and it’s a pity. Spectacle belongs on the big screen, larger-than-life and full of power and glamour. Just like Guido Contini must be remimded of what he’s lost along the way, so must Hollywood. “Nine” is splendid, and deserves more company at the top of the heap.