Well, let me be clear -- I *liked* the movie. Love it/hate it wasn't really how it worked for me.

I wouldn't say it's style over substance, necessarily, because how much substance can such a hackneyed old plot (it's true) have? Such a plot *requires* style to make the plot into a story we're willing to hear yet again. And Moulin Rouge worked in that sense, though -- for me -- barely.

As for the modern music -- well, I can't get past the anachronism, frankly. Sure, love songs are eternal, blah blah schmoop-cakes, but it took me out of the movie every single time.

I liked it. I didn't love it, and it was the frenetic pace and the farcical elements that were responsible for that... and the fact that I couldn't relate to the way the characters were behaving - Satine's refusal to do what she was so good at to save her lover (hello, ita), or Christian's anger with her later. The music, I enjoyed. Anachronistic music amuses me more often than not - like in Knight's Tale.

I liked Moulin Rouge, and I appreciated the anachronistic music. (On the other hand, I loathed A Knight's Tale, but that had worse problems than just the music.) As mentioned, Ewan OWNS that role, and he makes me all swoony. But it never reached me on an emotional level. I guess I like my love stories to actually show me why these two people are in love. Just presenting it as "hey presto, true love! no, really!" rarely works well for me.

The best way I can think of to describe Moulin Rouge is that it's like a bunch of shards of mostly beautiful stained glass all jumbled together in chaotic fashion rather than given meaning by an orderly framework. There are parts I absolutely loved - David Wenham's Audrey, Ewan singing "Your Song" to Nicole, the Can-can, Broadbent singing "Like a Virgin"... but it didn't hold together for me, and a lot of the frenetic transitions actively pissed me off.

Broadbent singing "Like a Virgin"

::shudder:: This was a total watch-from-the-hall moment.

I thought that it was stunning to look at, but I felt that besides Ewan and Jim Boradbent, everyone else was mediocre. And in musicals (as muuch as I dislike the genre) the songs are supposed to ultimate expression of heightened emotion. To me, it felt like the songs were used as expression enough for the emotion, and it was mostly absent elsewhere. Especially in Nicole Kidman's acting.

I thought the use of Roxanne was brilliant, not least of all because it took a while for it to click for me.

As for the others ... middle of the road. I like the idea of the reuse, but I didn't adore it.

I thought the use of Roxanne was brilliant

The guy who was *bellowing* like a donkey? That was loathesome.

I adored Roxanne. Didn't love the movie on the first go-round, but liked it very much the second and third time through. Ewan is incredible. However, I am a big ginormous musical geek, so the lameness of the plot didn't bother me--I have no trouble accepting the ridiculousness of "Seven Brides" or "Molly Brown" or "Carousel" any of the musicals I love which would drive me insane with wrath if they were done as regular dramas.

I admit I don't remember the delivery of Roxanne (Mr. Sumner is braying it in my head), but it is quite precisely what the movie was about, the dance scene was great, and I didn't for a second see it coming.