Writer: Audrey Chan

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Watch this if you liked: “Chicago”, “Moulin Rouge!”, “Cabaret”, “Nine”

Put on your top hat, strap up your white tie and brush off your... feathers? "Burlesque" is a musical that is everything it promises to be, the music, dance, sex and stripteases. That should be enough to get your derriere to the nearest cinema to check this movie out.

Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl from redneck Iowa who dreams of making it big as a singer. Upon arriving in Los Angeles, she stumbles into the Burlesque Lounge, a club that houses a sexy revue show. Quickly realising that Burlesque is her calling, Ali has to convince club owner Tess (Cher) that she has what it takes to raise the roof of the Burlesque Lounge.

There is no denying that seeing Christina Aguilera and countless other female cast in sexy costumes prancing provocatively on stage is very entertaining, maybe even more so than the routines in other musical predecessors such as "Chicago" or "Cabaret". The whole lineup is sexy, especially Christina and Kristen Bell (who plays Nikki, the star of the Burlesque Lounge). They would make the men in the audience to want to be with them and the women to be like them.

However, the movie fails to impress. The plot is cliched, at times rushed and very predictable. Though the film brags of a star-studded cast, it isn't enough to save it from being dull and rather tasteless. Christina's acting falls flat in a few places; there were a few consistent good performances, the most memorable being Stanley Tucci's (as Sean, Tess's friend and right-hand man), and he only plays a supporting character.

Unlike in "Chicago" or other musical films like "Moulin Rouge" or "Nine", the music in "Burlesque" is not as memorable. Save for a few songs like "Express" and "Good Girl", the rest of the songs are not at par. Christina Aguilera and Cher live up to the promise of powerful vocals, and they do deliver. It would have been nice to hear the other cast members sing as well, as Kristen Bell and another cast member Dianna Agron have some singing experience.

Overall, "Burlesque" may not be a great film, but it is a fairly good musical on its own. It would do the audience good to keep their eyes wide open as they would not want to miss a single moment. After all, it is "Burlesque", and it does have a very sexy cast.

Cinema Online, 10 January 2011