Review of “Nine”
Boasting an incredible female cast, Rob Marshall’s film of a musical of a film (Fellini’s classic 8 1/2) has moments of drama (in particular its promising cinematic opening), moments of sassy sexiness (for some Penelope Cruz’ solo dance number might be worth the ticket price alone), and moments of tenderness, thanks to a sensitive performance from Marion Cotillard. Yet it lacks the sense of passion, mystery and pain that should accompany any journey into the imagination of frustrated artistic genius.
Daniel Day-Lewis plays Guido Contini, a 1960’s film director with a severe case of filmmaker’s block. With ten days before the start of shooting his new film Italia, Contini is bombarded by demands from cast, crew and the media – all of whom want to know the details of the project. The problem is that Contini has nothing – not even the first few lines of a script. His thoughts turn inwards, searching for something to hang a story on, and we are taken on a slow journey where images from childhood seep into Contini’s inactive present. Yet nothing can kick start Contini’s project – nor Marshall’s it seems. This is - after all - the story of a non-story.
Cotillard as Contini’s wife comes closest to bringing the film to life, and her scenes with Day-Lewis are the best in the film, if only because she wants something we understand: honesty and devotion from her man. But the love story that could have been is dry cleaned by a series of run-of-the-mill Broadway numbers, mostly vehicles for the other women in Contini’s life to have brief, but unrelated moments with the director. Cruz is stunning but subdued as Contini’s mistress, and Sophia Loren stiff and awkward as his mother. Nicole Kidman glows appropriately as the star Claudia, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Stacey Ferguson is wild and raunchy as the town tramp. Yet none of these women (nor Judi Dench as his costume designer) have the screen time or the screen energy to overcome Contini’s powerful inertia.
Where Fellini’s 1963 film was a bizarre and dreamy circus, the extra 0.5 added to this version only make it stage-bound and distinctly gaudy. Day-Lewis smokes and hunches but is unconvincing as the desperate man at the centre of things. Judi Dench – along with Kate Hudson who plays a fashion journalist out for a one-night stand – seem like strays from another film. “Be Italian!” belts out Fergie in her big number, meaning passionate, daring and obsessive. That would have been good advice to Marshall and his screenwriters Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella.
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