A poor writer joins up with painter Toulouse-Lautrec's gang of bohemians and falls in love with a temptress at the ostentatious Paris nightclub, The Moulin Rouge.

Moulin Rouge is a lavish spectacle strong in all that audiences could want. The performance efforts range from powerful to humorous to captivating. Kidman, McGregor and cast work wonderfully together to bring this huge effort in filmmaking to fantastic life. The story, while somewhat simplistic, proves romantic and well told. The sets, costumes and scenery are among the best you'll see in modern cinema. The direction and especially the cinematography are deserving of the highest praise. Music and writing efforts too seem fresh and enjoyable. The way modern music is incorporated as dialogue and in performance pieces is an interesting creative touch.

It starts out in a flourish of life and color, and does lose a bit of its energy in the second half but in no way did I feel let down by a lack of effort here.

Critics and audiences were somewhat mixed about Moulin Rouge, some complaining of a flat story, simplistic characters and canned music. While there are points to be made here, I thoroughly enjoyed this film; likening it to the screen versions of popular Broadway musicals that were being made in the 1950's. There are some who probably will turn the DVD off after 20 minutes, but most should take the time to enjoy all Moulin Rouge has to offer.

Directed Baz Luhrmann.