Movie Review: Nine

Nine

Directed By: Rob Marshall

Written By: Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Coltillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Stacey Ferguson, and Sophia Loren.

Director of Photography: Dion Beebe, Editors: Claire Simpson and Wyatt Smith, Production Designer: John Myhre, Original Music: Andrea Guerra

Rated: PG-13 for sexual content and smoking.

    In the opening of Federico Fellini’s 8 ½, the confused director played by Marcello Mastroianni, is stuck in an impossible traffic jam. He’s confused and scared as the noises around him smother him. He opens his window, and suddenly flies out, up into the sky. In Nine, a filmic adaptation of the musical based on Italian classic, the confused director, now played by Daniel-Day-Lewis, simply goes to a room of sets where he is hoarded by women—lots of women. The contrast between those two images should explain reason why we like Mr. Mastroianni and loath Mr. Day Lewis.

    That’s just the beginning of faults with Nine, a luscious, sexy, sleek musical that’s empty and faulted with a hollow set of ideas, only brought to screen by the Weinsteins to increase their Oscar count. And while director Rob Marshall has proven himself to be an apt creator of sleek and fun films like Chicago, Nine suffers mostly from things outside his control.

    Chicago, a Kander and Ebb musical, is slick and fast and exciting. And while Nine may seem to be the more interesting story, one of the major faults of the film comes from the fact that the musical numbers are, well, boring. The film opens with Guido Contini (Mr. Day-Lewis), pondering his next project and stuck in a rut. His costume designer and mentor (Judi Dench) offers little advice. His wife (Marion Coltillard) is on the verge of leaving him. His mistress (Penelope Cruz) wants more of him. A Vogue reporter (Kate Hudson) loves the look of his films but not the substance. His actress and muse (Nicole Kidman) won’t do a film without a story. And his mother (Sophia Loren) is only a memory.

    With a cast like that, how could anything go wrong? The problem that the Weinsteins have done is casted A-list actors instead of A-list singers. The actors slowly pace around their sets, which, thanks to the wonderful work of DP Dion Beebe and production designer John Myhre, have been exquisitely brought to life. But as they belt out the trashy lyrics to the songs, one can’t help but laugh. Ms. Hudson sings a lavish song about her love of Guido’s neorealism, but one can’t help but think if she has ever sat through the tragic look of Rome, Open City or Bicycle Thieves. While Ms. Coltillard and Ms. Cruz are capable in their songs, it’s a shock when the best number goes to Stacey Ferguson (Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas), who plays a prostitute from Guido’s childhood in the film’s best number, “Be Italian.”

    Mr. Marshall does little to breathe fresh air. Most of the choreography is bland and uninteresting, and one can’t help but wonder what the likes of Bob Fosse could do with this material (Mr. Fosse made his own 8 ½ in 1979—it was called All That Jazz and it’s a criminally underrated masterpiece). His images rage on screen, witching color on and off, and raging through his editing patterns. But Nine comes off so flat on screen, letting its story meander about a misanthrope who cares for no one but himself, and never letting the musical numbers truly add to the story.

    At the center of this is Mr. Day-Lewis, often cited as the greatest actor working today, and coming off of one of his greatest performances of all time in There Will Be Blood. In Nine, Mr. Day-Lewis feels out of place, speaking in a cheesy Italian accent and providing as minimal emotion as possible. Instead of losing himself into his character, he loses his character in boredom, hiding behind sleek shades to keep himself in check. Mr. Day-Lewis isn’t searching for an idea for a film, he searching for a way out of the film. Unfortunately, Mr. Fellini is not here to let hi fly up out of his car, an escape that may have been much more fruitful for this film.