Nine (2009)

An Italian film director (Daniel Day Lewis) faces a creative crisis. He's scheduled to shoot his new film shortly but he doesn't even have a script. He retreats to a spa but is confronted by everything he's trying to escape from including the numerous women in his life. Based on the Broadway musical and directed by Rob Marshall. If you disliked his CHICAGO then chances are you'll dislike Marshall's NINE adaptation even more. There are those who are already prejudiced against it simply because it's a musical based on Federico Fellini's 8 1/2. It's nowhere near the level of that masterpiece but few films are. This is a musical adaptation, not a remake and should be judged on that and the film's musical numbers are what makes the film come alive. At this stage of his career (he would improve with INTO THE WOODS), Marshall still doesn't trust the audience to sit through a musical number all the way through. In Daniel Day Lewis's first number, Marshall keeps cutting away to a press conference when we just want to see him sing the damn song. Maury Yeston's songs aren't particularly memorable but they are in service to the narrative and on that level, they're effective. Still, for the most part, Marshall's staging of the musical numbers are quite splendid. Penelope Cruz (in an Oscar nominated performance) does a bump and grind Phone Call From the Vatican and Rita Hayworth has nothing on  her in the musical sensuality department. Fergie does the dynamic Be Italian and turns it into a showstopper. Kate Hudson has great fun with Cinema Italiano as does Judi Dench with Follie Bergere and both Marion Cotillard and Nicole Kidman are lovely in their ballad renditions. Even Sophia Loren has a lovely little lullaby to sing.