Burlesque

Christina Aguilera’s small town girl Ali takes a job at Cher’s aging burlesque club in downtown LA, naturally promoting herself to centre stage. Burlesque doesn’t deviate at all from the tropes of show-biz success pictures and while its pleasures are reliable, its predictability tarnishes its star-shine. TV’s Glee has simultaneously pushed song-and-dance exuberance into mainstream acceptance and set a high standard of imagination for musicals on all screens. Burlesque’s look resembles that of Chicago and Nine, which both have Bob Fosse in their DNA. There’s a coziness to the film’s star-is-born arc, but its straightforwardness is disappointing. –Hillary Titley