Moulin Rouge is about Ewan McGregor, a young writer, visiting the Moulin Rouge (literally means Red Light District in French). He falls in love with Nicole Kidman, a prostitute. They sing lots of pop songs.

Before I saw this movie, I downloaded an MP3 of the “Love Medley” and fell in love with the music. Then I heard the pop song on the radio and had mixed reactions. The trailer made me shudder.

Most of Moulin Rouge works. The beginning just slaps you around with a big “What the fuck?” series of scenes, including a musical medley that includes a Nirvana song. Watching a bunch of old men singing, “Here we are now—entertainers!” is a bit off-setting.

Around 20 minutes into the movie, it actually starts to work for some reason. People burst out into songs for no real reason and it works because at times Moulin Rouge seems like a farce on musicals. Ewan McGregor has a goofy smile the whole time when he sings, and many parts of the movie use speeded-up motion and cartoony sound effects. My favorite song in the movie had to be the insane song-and-dance number of “Like A Virgin” performed by a director and 5 butlers.

The end of the movie slows down to an insanely slow pace and it ends about 30 minutes later than it should. The whole middle of the movie is pure gold and the entire film is probably one of the most unique things you’ll see playing at a multiplex all year. If you like musicals, you’ll like Moulin Rouge. If you like pop songs, you’ll like Moulin Rouge. If you hate both of them, you might still like it. Give it a try, it’s one of the better movies I’ve seen in the theaters.

And, yes, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor can sing (although McGregor has a better voice than Kidman).

I give Moulin Rouge ***1/2 out of ****.