Queens can say what they want about these two queens.
OK, so Burlesque is not the best movie ever. And yes, perhaps Christina Aguilera is not our finest actress. Agreed, this camp classic rivals Glitter, the vehicle that made Mariah Carey a laughing stock. But the fact remains, this little musical is as entertaining as any ditsy musical from the MGM musical era, where the storyline is simple, the acting is cartoonish and the music is the only saving grace. But the outright disrespect from the audience at the screening of Burlesque confounds me. The movie opens with Christina alone in a restaurant somewhere in Podunk, with her belting out in song. The snickering begins there and continues straight through the film. The sold-out, mostly bitchy queen audience trashed her every move and every line. Granted, Xtina is not a method actor, but for some reason the audience despises Christina and by the time we meet Cher, the audience shows no respect for her either. Excuse me Marlene, but this is Cher we are talking about and you should only be so lucky. Seems like gays can’t help themselves. Like any queen in the audience has a trillionth of the their talent. This is the same “discerning” group that chomps on every bit that Lady Gaga goo-goos. Surely when La Gag makes her film debut, they will fawn all over her and Lord knows that nonsense is coming to a theater near you soon enough.
When Madonna made her acting debut in Desperately Seeking Susan, reviewers couldn’t resist trash talking her performance, “The material girl just can’t help being herself.” In that same vain, reviewers love to hate Aguilera in Burlesque and while they are at it, throw a dig or two at Cher, by accusing her of, “Grabbing the limelight and belts out an ear-melting power ballad, including the vaguely threatening “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me.” Frankly, there isn’t enough Cher in this film and I was bummed that the two of them didn’t do a duet as the finale, along the lines of Rose’s Turn in Gypsy. In closing, Burlesque is no Dreamgirls or Showgirls, for that matter, but it is highly entertaining. Yes, you will laugh at scenes when you’re not supposed to, but clearly you will spend a lot more time and money on holiday fare this season…such as Due Date or any other Zach Galifianakis vehicle.
Cher is my homegirl. I got to see Burleque last Monday at a press screening, and the audience loved it. They cheered for Cher TWICE. I'd love to know the reporters I saw it with, because everyone left the theater smiling. Perhaps it's the 'in' thing to do – pan a movie like this in print.
It's a FUN movie. what do people expect when they go to the movies now? Not every film is going to be a classic for heaven's sake! As Cher herself tweeted last night – "It's not Shakespeare! It's predictable, but it's beautiful & FUN."