Let's be realistic.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It's like reading a visual review of Fellini's 'eight and a half'.Even with the gorgeous singing and dancing and the solid performance of the actors, all of these resources have become a part of the sermon.Not to mention the old hollywood-style platitudes that pervaded its core.At the technical level, the combination of separate pieces makes no sense at all, so it is not surprising that mechanized pseudo-healing is the result.

The musical numbers are great and the production design is impeccable, but there is an underlying emotional connection missing that causes me (and presumably others) to ask "So what?". This musical, based on a stage production which was inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2, is about as insider (and meta) as you can get without falling into parody. And yet, perhaps some humor would have lightened up the dour atmosphere. The only thing that kept me interested were the songs, which offered a fantastical escape from the rather boring machinations of what little plot there was. Daniel Day-Lewis, as usual, does a fantastic job disappearing into his role as Guido Contini, a director having trouble with his next film project and with all of the various women in his life, but his character is fundamentally loathsome and little reason is given to care about him. The women (and sheer amount of flesh) on display are exactly that: displays. Little attention is paid to their characterization as well, and they enter and exit the picture at the whims of Guido's imagination. There is a moment late in the film, between Nicole Kidman's Claudia Jenssen(?) and Day-Lewis' Guido where he finally admits that he doesn't have a script, and therefore there isn't a movie. He intones that people don't come to see his movies for the script, instead to look at the fashion on display. While that might be enough for some people hoping to see some show-stopping musical numbers, that isn't enough for me. While brilliant individually, they do little to anchor down a consistent narrative. My advice would be to just go back and watch CHICAGO, which is a much better film.

This movie is terrible. I LOVE musicals, but I am not sure who the target audience is supposed to be. Although the musical numbers are pretty, the entire movie is completely void of any depth to female characters and since typically I have to drag my husband into a musical kicking and screaming I really don't get who they are trying to appeal to. I can't relate to a main character is who is an over sexed, privileged, chauvinist. Do yourself a favor and watch something else. Maybe something where they portray women as more then dolled up sex symbols. Like I said before, I love musicals, I live for musicals but I could barely get through this. It is so offense to women.

Film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) is starting a new movie in 10 days and he hasn't written a single word yet. He doesn't know if he still has the touch after 2 consecutive flops. All that is sure is that the new movie is to be called Italia and stars his muse Claudia (Nicole Kidman).The story isn't very appealing. It's just so much doubt and mid-life crisis from Guido. The songs are, to be kind, weak cabaret Broadway caliber. Penélope Cruz does a super sexy dance. Daniel Day-Lewis isn't completely horrible. Kate Hudson has the most fun and energetic. And Marion Cotillard gets very emotional. Besides a few sexy dance moves, the songs and dances are mostly forgettable. And there is something very static about having all those performances on the same stage. There are some hot babes, but the movie isn't so hot.