Review: A musical that doesn't quite come alive

Title: Nine
Cast: Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren
Director: Rob Marshall
Rating: A
Critic's rating: * * *

Marion Cotillard is Luisa, the wronged wife of famous Italian director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), whose fascination for women is as famous as the films he makes.

Contini reaches a creative and personal crisis of epic proportions just when he is slated to make his biggest ever film, Italia.

Nine follows his life from thereon with Guido trying to balance his time between his work, his wife, mistress (Cruz), muse Claudia (Kidman), confidant and costume designer (Dench), an American fashion journalist (Hudson), the memories of the prostitute from his youth, and the ghost of his mother (Loren).

The story takes a degenerative spiral and ends in a bit of hope when Contini manages to make amends for past mistakes.

Rob Marshall (Chicago, Memoirs of a Geisha) makes this film version, which is apparently inspired by 8½ and based on the Broadway musical staged in 1982 and 2003, a heady, vibrant, and exhilarating experience combining classic songs that carry the narrative along with terrific singing picturised with great verve.

But it’s not all that heady an experience despite the majestic cast. The characters don’t quite come alive even though the A–list stars give it their all. Loren appears majestic, Dench as always is in a class of her own, and Cruz spills some much wanted emotion, but it doesn’t appear to be enough.

Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella’s script is the culprit here. The characters lack depth. Of course, Marshall tries all the tricks at his disposal. Exciting cinematography by Dion Beebe, engaging  choreography by Marshall and John DeLuca, and believable production design by John Myhre make the experience scintillating, but all of it remains at the surface at best!