| Burlesque | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Antin |
| Written by | Steven Antin |
| Produced by | Donald De Line |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Bojan Bazelli |
| Edited by | Virginia Katz |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $55 million |
| Box office | $90.5 million[1] |
Burlesque is a 2010 Americanbackstage musical film written and directed bySteven Antin. It starsCher,Christina Aguilera in her film debut,Kristen Bell,Cam Gigandet,Eric Dane,Stanley Tucci,Julianne Hough,Alan Cumming, andPeter Gallagher, and features cameos fromDianna Agron andJames Brolin.
The film tells the story of Ali (Aguilera), an aspiring singer who leaves her small hometown for Los Angeles, where she becomes a dancer at a strugglingburlesque lounge owned by Tess (Cher). After a performance is sabotaged by her rival, Nikki (Bell), Ali sings the song herself, impressing Tess and leading to her becoming the main attraction of the lounge.
Burlesque marks Aguilera's first leading role, as well as Cher's first musical performance on screen since 1967'sGood Times. Filming forBurlesque took place in California from November 2009 to March 2010. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010, byScreen Gems. Itsjazz-inspiredsoundtrack was released ahead of the film's release on November 19, 2010, byRCA Records and Screen Gems. Aguilera and Cher both contributed to the album.
The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performance and the soundtrack but criticized the writing.Burlesque did modestly at the box office, grossing $91 million worldwide and earning an additional $42 million in domestic video sales. The film was nominated forBest Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the68th Golden Globe Awards, where Cher's performance of "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", written byDiane Warren, won forBest Original Song. The soundtrack was nominated forBest Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media in the54th Grammy Awards. Astage musical adaptation of the film premiered in June 2024.
Alice "Ali" Marilyn Rose is a young waitress inIowa who dreams of becoming a professional dancer ever since losing her mother in her childhood. After her selfish boss refuses to pay her salary, she takes what he owes her from the register and moves toLA, where she attends many auditions with little success.
One night, Ali comes across aburlesque club where its owner Tess Scali and an entourage of dancers perform an opening number. She also meets songwriter-bartender Jack Miller at the club's bar. He refers Ali to Tess for an audition, but she tells her to return another time and her assistant Sean ushers her out. Upon seeing their waitress shortage, Ali picks up a tray and begins serving. As a result, she manages to get a job waiting tables at the club.
When Georgia, one of the lead dancers, becomes pregnant, auditions are held in search of her replacement. Ali performs a difficult dance routine and eventually persuades Tess to hire her. This infuriates Nikki, a lead performer struggling with alcoholism.
Ali replaces Nikki one night to host a performance after the latter is too intoxicated to perform. In a fit of rage, Nikki tries to sabotage it by turning off the music that the dancers usually lip sync to until Ali impresses everyone with her singing skills. Her performance is an instant success, and Tess casts her in an upcoming show. Despite the club's growing popularity, Tess struggles with a bank loan and a lien on her ownership rights of the building.
One night after the club closes, Tess is increasingly worried about her finances when a drunken Nikki shows up, accusing her of betraying their long friendship. In defense of Ali, Tess questions Nikki's lack of gratitude for the help she has received during her binges. In retaliation, the furious dancer quits after revealing to have slept with Tess' ex-husband Vince after their honeymoon. Tess leaves, angrily smashing a window of Nikki's convertible.
Meanwhile, Ali and Jack become romantically attracted. However, he is already engaged to Natalie, an actress working inNYC. Sean encourages Jack to end the engagement, as Ali is a better person than his shallow fiancée. Wealthy clubgoer Marcus becomes infatuated with Ali, who begins spending time with him, making Jack jealous.
The group later attends Georgia's lavish wedding to Damon, funded by his wealthy father who is delighted he is settling down and with the impending arrival of his grandchild. Jack appears to call off his engagement and gets drunk. That night, he and Ali sleep together.
In the morning, Natalie unexpectedly returns from New York and finds them in bed together. She angrily insists she and Jack never broke up, although he denies this yet asks Ali to leave. Feeling heartbroken and betrayed, Ali runs to Sean for support and learns that he is gay. Marcus calls her, and Sean encourages her to go out with him.
Seeing a model of Marcus' plans to build a skyscraper on the club's property, Ali realizes that he is not merely interested in the "air rights" above it, as he claims to be. She tells Tess about his plan and they pay a visit to the developer of a new million-dollar condo building across the street.
Fearing the obstruction of his prospective purchasers' view, the developer buys the air rights to the club's property from Tess. She then uses the money to buy out Vince's share, pay off the bank, and redecorate the club in her own vision. Later, a sobered Nikki admits that she lied about sleeping with Vince out of anger. They reconcile, and Tess rehires her.
Ali rekindles her relationship with Jack after he tells her that he broke up with Natalie because she cared more about her job than their relationship. Nikki finally accepts Ali, who then performs "Show Me How You Burlesque", a song written by Jack, with all of the dancers on stage, delighting the crowd.
Steven Antin's sisterRobin was a member and creator of the girl bandthe Pussycat Dolls.[9] Circa 2002, the group performed atthe Roxy Theatre, West Hollywood, with many artists—among them Christina Aguilera—and Steven Antin directed some of these shows.[9] The first outline of the screenplay was written by Antin and Clint Culpepper, theScreen Gems' president. It was about "a girl escaping her life", showing up in aneo-burlesque club and launching a career as a performer.[9]
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Cher accepted the supporting role of Tess Scali because she wanted to sing in a movie and thought this would be her last opportunity to do so.[10] While on the film set, she went on to praise co-star Christina Aguilera's acting abilities, revealing toEntertainment Tonight: "She was keeping up, and she was hot. I mean, it was, like, she was really up there. Her game is good."[10] Canadian actorShawn Roberts, who was previously cast in another Screen Gems productionResident Evil: Afterlife, was briefly considered for the role of Jack Miller.[11]Lindsay Lohan andJessica Biel auditioned for the role of Nikki.[12]
Burlesque started shooting on November 9, 2009[3] and ended on March 3, 2010. Although director Steven Antin wrote the original screenplay,Diablo Cody (Juno) revised it uncredited.[13] It was later further revised bySusannah Grant, also uncredited.[14]Burlesque is Screen Gems' most expensive film, with the exception of theResident Evil films, with costs of $55 million.[15]
Filming locations included the exterior and adjacent parking as the "Burlesque Lounge" of theRicardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood,[16][17] as well as the interior of theCathedral of Saint Vibiana.[17]
The soundtrack album features ten tracks: eight performed by Aguilera including "Express"; and two performed by Cher which are her first original recordings in 7 years. The soundtrack includes a mix of original and cover songs. Both the ballads from the soundtrack – "Bound to You" performed by Aguilera and "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" performed by Cher – were nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song. Cher's "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", which was written byDiane Warren, won the award.[18][19] In theUnited States, the soundtrack was certified Gold by theRIAA for shipments of 500,000 copies in October 2011.[20]
Thetheatrical trailer was attached to screenings ofStep Up 3D andEasy A. The first TV spot premiered during theseason 2 premiere ofFox'sGlee on September 21, 2010. A third TV spot also aired the following day duringDancing with the Stars, later followed by another during MTV'sJersey Shore. Several teasers have been released for promotional purposes including theEtta James's "Something's Got a Hold on Me". This was then followed by the track "But I Am a Good Girl" which was released in November 2010.
Aguilera performed "Bound to You" onThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno and gave an interview and performance onConan. Aguilera also gave an interview to show hostChelsea Handler to discuss the film and other subjects. On November 19, 2010, Aguilera also gave a television interview toEllen DeGeneres. She then performed a track from the soundtrack, the Etta James track "Something's Got a Hold on Me". Aguilera performed "Express" at theAmerican Music Awards of 2010 and "Show Me How You Burlesque" at theDancing with the Stars finale. She also performed "Express" on the final of theseventh series ofThe X Factor which received criticism and complaints for the raunchy content.[21]
The DVD and Blu-ray were released in North America on March 1, 2011.[22] A Blu-ray/DVD combo has been released as well. The DVD and Blu-ray sales exceed one million units and have grossed $20,563,918 in the United States alone;[23] and, as of May 19, 2011[update], it is the 19th highest selling movie of the year.[24] In all, the DVD has sold over 1.4 million units in the United States.[23] Overall, it has grossed over $30,053,366 on video sales (DVD and Blu-ray sales) in United States alone.[25]
Burlesque was released on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, the day beforeThanksgiving in the United States; on its opening day, it came in third toHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 andTangled. On Thursday, November 25, 2010, it dropped down to fourth place in the box office behindHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,Tangled andUnstoppable and went down to fifth on Friday, November 26, 2010. On Sunday, November 28, 2010, it went back up to third place behindTangled andHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. It stayed in the top five until December 10, 2010, when it fell to sixth behindThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,The Tourist,Tangled,Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 andUnstoppable. By the Christmas weekend, it was number 15 at the box office.[26]
The week after Thanksgiving,Burlesque experienced a substantial decrease on ticket sales, earning $9.65 million ($6.1 million for the weekend), for a total of $26.98 million for its first twelve days.[27] As of February 6, 2011[update], it had grossed $39.4 million in North America, and, as of May 15, 2011[update], $51.1 million in foreign countries, for a total of $91 million worldwide,[1] and an additional $42 million in domestic video sales (DVD and Blu-ray).[28]
Burlesque received mixed reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 37% based on 178 reviews, with an average rating of 4.90/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Campy and clichéd,Burlesque wastes its talented cast (including a better-than-expected Christina Aguilera) on a movie that wavers uncertainly between 'bad' and 'so bad it's good.'"[29] OnMetacritic, the film holds a score of 47 out of 100, based on 38 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[30] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.[31]
Michael Phillips of theChicago Tribune said, "The choicest dialogue inBurlesque provokes the sort of laughter that other, intentionally funny films only dream of generating."[32][33]Mick LaSalle fromSan Francisco Chronicle gave the movie a full score and praised Aguilera's acting, calling her "jaw-droppingly good in several numbers" and said, "Aguilera knows how to listen to her fellow actors, to react and be spontaneous, and it makes all the difference".[34] Kirk Honeycutt ofThe Hollywood Reporter called Burlesque "a refreshing throwback to movie musicals that celebrates its stars while indulging in sexy fun" and also praised Aguilera's acting and singing.[35]Stanley Tucci's performance received praise fromEntertainment Weekly[36] andEmpire thought the dance numbers were thrilling.[37]Time Out labelled the drama "perfunctory"[38] whileRoger Ebert said that "Burlesque shows Cher and Christina Aguilera being all that they can be, and that's more than enough."[39]Variety observed that the film "wants to beCabaret, but lacks the edge and historical context to pull it off."[40]The New York Times said that the story line "had already gathered dust by the time [of] the 1933 musical42nd Street".[41]
Aguilera's portrayal of the main character received positive reviews,[34][42][43][44][45][29] and has been ranked among the hundred best acting performances by musicians by theBillboard magazine.[46] Sarah Carty ofRTÉ.ie opined that the singer "manages to bring an unforced charm to her first starring role."[43]Urban Cinefile's Louise Keller praised the film for the "knock out performances by the sizzling hot Christina Aguilera and the legendary Cher."[47]
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
| 2010 | NewNowNext Awards[48][49] | Best Future Feature | Won | |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards 2010 | Best Original Song | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" Written byDiane Warren, performed byCher | Nominated | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Original Song | Won | ||
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Original Song | Won | ||
| St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards 2010 | Best Music | Nominated | ||
| 2011 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Song | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" Written by Diane Warren, performed by Cher | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Song | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" Written by Diane Warren, performed by Cher | Won | ||
| "Bound to You" Written byChristina Aguilera,Samuel Dixon,Sia Furler, performed byChristina Aguilera | Nominated | |||
| Golden Raspberry Awards | Worst Supporting Actress | Cher | Nominated | |
| GALECA Dorian Awards[50] | Campy(Intentional or Not) Film Of The Year | Won | ||
| Golden Reel Awards[51] | Best Sound Editing: Music in a Musical Feature | Todd Bozung | Nominated | |
| Costume Designers Guild Awards | Excellence In Contemporary Film | Burlesque Michael Kaplan | Nominated | |
| GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Film – Wide Release | Nominated | ||
| ALMA Awards[52] | Favorite Film Leading Actress – Comedy or Musical | Christina Aguilera | Nominated | |
| MTV Movie Awards[53] | Best Female Breakout Star | Nominated | ||
| World Soundtrack Awards | Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" Written by Diane Warren, performed by Cher | Nominated | |
| 2012 | Japan Gold Disc Awards 2012[54] | Soundtrack Album of the Year | Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Won |
| Grammy Awards | Best Song Written for Visual Media | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" Written by Diane Warren, performed by Cher | Nominated | |
| Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media | Burlesque: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | Nominated | ||
According to Joey Nolfi ofEntertainment Weekly, since its release the movie "inspired everything, from drag queen revues to viral internet moments".[9] Nolfi applaudedBurlesque as "a campy, niche classic".[9] In 2019, a full-lengthBurlesque tour, based on the movie, embarked, including at British venues. It starredFarrah Moan as Ali Rose andChad Michaels as Tess Scali.[55] TheBurlesque stage musical was supposed to open at thePaper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey, in autumn 2020, followed by aBroadway theatre adaptation, but the plans were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[56] The movie was also referenced in thethird season of theVH1 reality showRuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.[57] In a 2020 interview Antin revealed a "hybrid television event/series", based on the movie, was under development.[9]
In January 2021,Madison Hubbell andZachary Donohue won the gold medal at theU.S. Figure Skating Championships. During the2020–21 season they danced to a medley of Aguilera'sBurlesque songs, which included "Express".[58][59]
Astage musical adaptation of the film opened inWest End, after completing tryouts at theManchester Opera House inManchester, and at theTheatre Royal inGlasgow from June to November 2024.[60]
Steven Antin returned to write the book, with music and lyrics byChristina Aguilera,Sia,Diane Warren,Todrick Hall, andJess Folley. Antin and Aguilera also produced the adaptation.[61]
Antin wrote the script, and Diablo Cody ("Juno") revised it.
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