Nine Reviews

Basically, it was one of those movies that garnered some buzz even before it was released and it was quite understandable. Indeed, it was the adaptation of a successful broadway musical and the last time Rob Marshall directed a musical (the dreadful ‘Chicago’), it won the Best Picture Academy award and, on top of that, there was a really impressive cast. Unfortunately, it didn’t get much love when it was released and it eventually vanished pretty quickly. Personally, I thought it was not bad (at least, it was much better than ‘Chicago’) but I can’t say I was really convinced. Above all, the main issue, in my opinion, is that, if you are a little bit familiar with Federico Fellini’s work, the movie hasn’t much to do with it. I have to confess, I have seen ‘8 ½’ only once and it was ages ago but I did watch half of his movies and this adaptation certainly didn’t capture the essence of the great master. Anyway, in my case, the most attractive aspect in this feature was to see the great Daniel Day-Lewis (considering how very few movies he might make in the future, we shouldn’t be picky, I guess) and he delivered as usual a solid performance but you wonder why he decided to join this production. Of course, the whole thing looked pretty good, there was indeed an impressive female cast (Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, Fergie Duhamel) but none of the songs really blew me away and, to be honest, I was fairly bored during the whole thing. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent musical and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wanted to love Nine, I really did. I wanted to sing its praises and talk about how wonderful the cast was across the board, about how much fun I had during the entire film, about how great the big production numbers were…I can say none of these things. Nine is a miss-fire with few redeeming qualities.

The story, as this flimsy thing could be questionably called, contains a director who has reached a creative roadblock and cannot complete his ninth film. Strange that he has such a rich and vibrant imaginary life. Every trick you can think of is thrown in for good measure. Want some black and white? You got it. Want some T&A girlie show? You got it. Want sparkles, glitter, sequins, go-go dancing and the kitchen sink? You have got that, too.

I never thought that I’d say this, but I have seen a bad Daniel Day-Lewis performance. The actor that can stand above the rest, except for, maybe, Meryl Streep, is fantastic in brooding and complicated roles. Here, he is too dour for Guido. Javier Bardem, the original choice, would have been far better. There needs to be a breezy, slightly care-free artifice, a gigolo with mommy issues, and Day-Lewis is far too dark, sour and interior for that. He’s also not much of a song and dance man.

But this is, mostly, a spotlight for some great female actors that plays out like the cinematic equivalent to one of those VH1 Divas specials. Each get their big moment (only one gets two, Marion Cotillard) and there’s a big group number at the beginning and another at the very end.

Dame Judi Dench is perfectly fine. There’s nothing terribly special about her performance, but she’s far too good for such a thinly plotted role. Sophia Loren and Nicole Kidman are nothing but glorified cameos given far-too brief screen time as hallucinations before finally being trotted out towards the end for their songs. Nicole Kidman’s song has terrible staging, but the straight-acting portion of it is wonderful. The muse gets to tell her director that she wants to play something other than a fantasy creature in human form. Sophia Loren, however, is utterly wasted in a thankless role. But it’s wonderful and sublime to see on her the big screen again. Fergie is neither awful nor terrific in her cameo role. She looks good with the extra weight she’s put on, but her breasts are immobile to the point of distraction while dancing or frolicking on the beach. She’s also not much of a singer, but she can blow. Her “Be Italian” sequence is probably the best in the entire film. The one moment in which Nine remembers that it is a musical and rallies itself for a show-stopper.

But two women that stand out the most are Penelope Cruz as the needy, desperate mistress, and Marion Cotillard as the long-suffering wife. Cotillard can tell an entire emotional story with a bat of her eyelashes or a curve of her neck or a twitch in her mouth. “Take It All” is another contender for best sequence. And Cruz steams things up in the sexy “Call From the Vatican,” another best-in-show contender. She gets to stretch her comedic acting muscles and provides ample amount of sass and heartbreak.

If they are the best, then, without a doubt, the worst is Kate Hudson. Her character is useless, shoe-horned for no effect or impact upon the story-line and forces upon us the worst song-and-dance number in a long time. “Cinema Italiano” praises the Neo-Realist Italian filmmakers for their flashy style but says nothing of their substance. The awful black and white footage and bad choreography are only the tip of the iceberg. Hudson has obviously not inherited any of her mother’s natural charm, comedic talent or ability to sing and dance. “Cinema Italiano” kills a film and is aggressively awful while the rest of the movie is just mediocre. Nine never recovers.

I had high expectations for Nine because it had a great cast, it is very similar to Fellini's 8½ and it is a Rob Marshall musical and his previous musical Chicago was a Best Picture Oscar winner. When I saw Nine, I absolutely loved it!! I am sometimes fussy when it comes to musicals because if there aren't enough songs I dislike it because wouldn't stick to the genre and if there are too many songs then I dislike it because not enough story details. Nine is neither of those which relieved me. This is a very artistic film that doesn't just have beautiful sceneries but when you see the actresses and dancers in lingerie it shows the beauty of women too. In dance scenes, it glues your eyes to the screen especially in the Penelope Cruz song and dance scene. I usually prefer dark musicals over light hearted musicals because stories go into greater depth and also songs are catchier. I hope that this film wins the Best Picture Musical/Comedy and Best Actor Musical/Comedy (Daniel Day-Lewis) Golden Globe Award because it totally deserves it!


I was worried about the singing of the actors within the film. They were all brilliant singers which did surprise me. Daniel Day-Lewis delivers another fantastic performance as Guido ... Guido is a middle aged man who really struggles in this film with his latest film that he has made and also his personal life. He has numerous relationships in the film with his wife Louisa (Marion Cotillard), his mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz), Lilli (Judi Dench), Claudia (Nicole Kidman), Stephanie (Kate Hudson) and his mother. I was impressed by Daniel's Italian accent for an English/Irish man which is another great talent of his. Marion Cotillard's performance as Guido's wife Louisa was absolutely fantastic! It was great to see the two 2007 Best Leading Actor and Actress winners playing man and wife together in a film. I am starting to really like Marion now. She did a great job in her Oscar winning performance in La Vie En Rose in 2007 and then Public Enemies in mid 2009. Penelope Cruz's performance was absolutely fantastic! She has made a name for herself also with her Oscar nominated performance in Volver in 2006 and her Oscar winning performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona in 2008. Carla is like Guido: another married person who is cheating on her spouse. Daniel, Marion and Penelope all deserve Oscar nominations. Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench and Kate Hudson deliver great performances too.


Rob Marshall returns to another musical. His previous musical Chicago won the 2002 Best Picture Academy Award so I hope that Nine becomes as successful as that one. The songs are absolutely brilliant! Every single dancer was absolutely perfect! Rob Marshall is starting to be the best director for musicals. I enjoyed Nine a lot more than Chicago. I have not seen the Broadway musical so I would presume that the script in the film is almost the same as the Broadway musical if not exactly the same. I loved the lyrics in all of the songs. It couldn't have been better written.


Overall, Nine is the best musical I have watched since Sweeney Todd. Without a doubt one of the best of 2009! I hope it wins a few Oscars this year. If you love 8 ½, Moulin Rouge! and especially Chicago, you will love Nine!

''Be Italian...Live today as if it may... become... your last.''

Famous film director Guido Contini struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships throughout his life.

Daniel Day-Lewis: Guido Contini

Nine(2009); A grand, illustrious, costume laden extravaganza musical telling the story of arrogant, self-centered movie director Guido Contini, given life by Daniel Day Lewis.
He finds himself struggling to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest film endeavor Italia. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse, and his mother. As his chaotic profession steadily unravels his personal life, Guido must find a balance between creating art and succumbing to its obsessive demands.



It must be put forth, the writers of Nine: Michael Tolkin and the late Anthony Minghella were behind the elaborate screenplay. Arthur Kopit, Maury Yeston (Broadway musical Nine) and Mario Fratti(Broadway musical "Nine" Italian original). Without any of these writers or writers behind the musical the film project Nine surely would of remained only on paper and in the musical arena rather than retold upon the cinematic screen. A further heart felt praise must also go to Anthony Minghella whom sadly is no longer with us yet still manages to touch us with his creative works and screenplays which he subsequently left behind; A mighty bow and deep sign of respect goes out to Minghella; the man behind emotional piece The English Patient(1996).
Writer Anthony Minghella has been nominated twice for other adaptations: The English Patient for which he also won Best Director, and later for The Talented Mr. Ripley(1999).
Nine similarly oozes his stylistic talent for writing and flair for romance. We will miss you.

The cast, the costumes and the songs all are so extensive in Nine it would take a vast amount of time to fit all into an explanatory review. Although I will try my best to mention the relevant and allow you to witness the piece for yourself in all it's glory.
Obviously the story's protagonist comes in the guise of wonderful acting talent Daniel Day Lewis, portraying Italian Maestro director Guido Contini. Nine shows he hasn't lost his edge since Oscar turn out performance There Will Be Blood. His presence on screen and performing talents include a dabbling of dance and singing; conveying acting with entertaining hand in hand. Every scene you can guarantee he will have a cigarette in hand which reminds us this is a master at work doing what it takes to portray a deeply faceted man from the past.
The leading ladies behind the man all perform outstandingly; Kate Hudson (An American Journalist) and Fergie surprise with song renditions and sexual poise. Perhaps Penelope Cruz being the sexiest of all, as the mistreated mistress of Guido; for me having her busty, lucrative costumes. Rivaled by the scarily curvy Fergie whom plays a temptress from Guidos childhood.
Nicole Kidman positively radiant in grandeur tones while Judi Dench adds a royal imprint of suave class elevating the piece into heavenly realms.
Marion Cotiilard as the troubled wife; sparks emotion and flamboyance. She is the casualty of Guido loving his work more than her. He neglects to treat her in a special regard different from any of his future actresses he works with.
The icing and cream on the Italian based musical has to be the dazzling, sparking, romanticized Sophia Loren as Mamma. This Lady retains all her magical charisma; In essence she is a timeless depiction of Italy itself. The woman behind the man; the Goddess behind the spirit of a nation.
Only the second movie musical for Sophia Loren, the first being Man of La Mancha(1972), even though she is a capable singer, as can be heard on many novelty and soundtrack recordings.

The original Broadway musical opened May 9, 1982 at the 46th Street Theater and ran for 729 performances with Raul Julia as Guido. It won five Tony awards, including Best Musical and Best Featured Actress. The latest Broadway production, starring Antonio Banderas as Guido, opened on Apr 10, 2003 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for 283 performances. It won two Tonys: Best Revival of a Musical and Best Featured Actress. Banderas unfortunately turned down the chance to reprise his role as Guido in the film version. Fortunately Daniel Day Lewis took up the part.

Overall, Nine is an under-rated whirl of art and life blurring together from Director Rob Marshal. Everything has a urge of energy and flair about it that makes for a great musical, as well as being a film.
The songs A Call From The Vatican, Be Italian, Guido's Song, Take It All were a few as well as being best favourites for me. Emotion, at times humour, and a certain truthfulness is conveyed by every lyric and word. Whether it be sexy Penelope, tempting Fergie, or the tear inducing pixie Marion...Nine is a beautiful swirling fanfare of pleasure and one man's descent into despair as his work takes over his personal affairs.
If you love musicals, costumes, elaborate set-pieces and quality top-notch acting then Nine should be witnessed by you immediately. Breath-taking.