Summary
A celebration of love and creative inspiration takes place in the infamous, gaudy and glamorous Parisian nightclub, at the cusp of the 20th century. A young poet, who is plunged into the heady world of Moulin Rouge, begins a passionate affair with the club's most notorious and beautiful star.
Cast
Nicole Kidman
Satine
Ewan McGregor
Christian
John Leguizamo
Toulouse-Lautrec
Jim Broadbent
Harold Zidler
Richard Roxburgh
The Duke
Garry McDonald
The Doctor
Jacek Koman
The Unconscious Argentinean
Matthew Whittet
Satie
Kerry Walker
Marie
Caroline O'Connor
Nini Legs in the Air
Christine Anu
Arabia
Natalie Mendoza
China Doll
Lara Mulcahy
Môme Fromage
David Wenham
Audrey
Kylie Minogue
The Green Fairy
Ozzy Osbourne
Voice of the Green Fairy
Deobia Oparei
Le Chocolat
Linal Haft
Warner
Keith Robinson
Le Petomane
Peter Whitford
Stage Manager
Norman Kaye
Satine's Doctor
Arthur Dignam
Christian's Father
Carole Skinner
Landlady
Jonathan Hardy
Man in the Moon
Plácido Domingo
Voice of Man in the Moon
Kiruna Stamell
La Petite Princesse
Anthony Young
Orchestra Member
Johnny Lockwood
Character Rake
Dee Donavan
Character Rake
Don Reid
Character Rake
Tara Morice
Prostitute
Daniel Scott
Absinthe Drinker / Guitarist
Veronica Beattie
Montmartre Dance Team
Lisa Callingham
Montmartre Dance Team
Rosetta Cook
Montmartre Dance Team
Fleur Denny
Montmartre Dance Team
Kelly Grauer
Montmartre Dance Team
Jaclyn Hanson
Montmartre Dance Team
Michelle Hopper
Montmartre Dance Team
Fallon King
Montmartre Dance Team
Wendy McMahon
Montmartre Dance Team
Tracie Morley
Montmartre Dance Team
Sue-Ellen Shook
Montmartre Dance Team
Jenny Wilson
Montmartre Dance Team
Luke Alleva
Montmartre Dance Team
Andrew Aroustian
Montmartre Dance Team
Stephen Colyer
Montmartre Dance Team
Steve Grace
Montmartre Dance Team
Mark Hodge
Montmartre Dance Team
Cameron Mitchell
Montmartre Dance Team
Deon Nuku
Montmartre Dance Team
Shaun Parker
Montmartre Dance Team
Troy Phillips
Montmartre Dance Team
Rodney Syaranamual
Montmartre Dance Team
Ashley Wallen
Montmartre Dance Team
Nathan Wright
Montmartre Dance Team
Susan Black
Paris Dance Team
Nicole Brooks
Paris Dance Team
Danielle Brown
Paris Dance Team
Anastacia Flewin
Paris Dance Team
Fiona Gage
Paris Dance Team
Alex Harrington
Paris Dance Team
Camilla Jakimowicz
Paris Dance Team
Rochelle Jones
Paris Dance Team
Caroline Kaspar
Paris Dance Team
Mandy Liddell
Paris Dance Team
Melanie Mackay
Paris Dance Team
Elise Mann
Paris Dance Team
Charmaine Martin
Paris Dance Team
Michelle Wriggles
Paris Dance Team
Michael Boyd
Paris Dance Team
Lorry D'Ercole
Paris Dance Team
Michael Edge
Paris Dance Team
Glyn Gray
Paris Dance Team
Craig Haines
Paris Dance Team
Stephen Holford
Paris Dance Team
Jamie Jewell
Paris Dance Team
Jason King
Paris Dance Team
Ryan Males
Paris Dance Team
Harlin Martin
Paris Dance Team
Andrew Micallef
Paris Dance Team
Jonathan Schmölzer
Paris Dance Team
Bradley Spargo
Paris Dance Team
Joseph 'Pepe' Ashton
Tabasco Brother
Jordan Ashton
Tabasco Brother
Marcos Falagan
Tabasco Brother
Mitchel Falagan
Tabasco Brother
Chris Mayhew
Tabasco Brother
Hamish McCann
Tabasco Brother
Adrien Janssen
Tabasco Brother
Shaun Holloway
Tabasco Brother
Darren Dowlut
Cocoliscious Brother
Dennis Dowlut
Cocoliscious Brother
Pina Conti
La Ko Ka Chau
Nandy McClean
Twin
Maya McClean
Twin
Patrick Harding-Irmer
Waiter
Albin Pahernik
Waiter
Aurel Verne
Waiter
Kip Gamblin
Latin Dancer
Wilson Alcorn
Audience Member (uncredited)
Kerry Casey
Audience Member (uncredited)
Peter Collingwood
Audience Member (uncredited)
Cass Cumerford
Audience Member (uncredited)
Matthew Dale
The Hand (uncredited)
Brenda De Lacy
Courtesan / Seamstress (uncredited)
Eliana Dona
Prostitute (uncredited)
Nash Edgerton
Stagehand (uncredited)
Coralie Eichholtz
Hooker #1 (uncredited)
Tim Elliott
Audience Member (uncredited)
Pat Evans
Seamstress (uncredited)
Nicole Fantl
Audience Member (uncredited)
Sandi Finlay
Eccentric Wealthy Lesbian Club Attendee (uncredited)
Waldo Garrido
Musician (uncredited)
Scotty Gregory
Stagehand (uncredited)
Kahlia Greksa
Street Urchin (uncredited)
Karinna Greksa
Street Urchin (uncredited)
Trent Harlow
Dancer (uncredited)
Troy Harrison
Dancer (uncredited)
Geoffrey Kiem
Stagehand (uncredited)
Harold Kissin
Audience Member (uncredited)
Ian Lind
Stagehand (uncredited)
Tony Lynch
Stagehand (uncredited)
Angus Martin
Pawnbroker (uncredited)
Liliya May
Mermaid (uncredited)
Paul Maybury
Audience Member (uncredited)
Scott Peters
Audience Member (uncredited)
Chris Pickard
Dancer (uncredited)
Greg Poppleton
Nervous Nellie (uncredited)
Brett Praed
Stagehand (uncredited)
Thern Reynolds
Dancer (uncredited)
Greg Robinson
Stagehand (uncredited)
David Scotchford
Dancer (uncredited)
Neeraj Singh
Oscar Wilde boy (uncredited)
Sotiri Sotiropoulos
Stagehand (uncredited)
David Whitford
Audience Member (uncredited)
Matt Wilson
Slave Trader (uncredited)
Crew
Director, Screenplay
Baz Luhrmann
Screenplay
Craig Pearce
Reviews
cadkaup
April 28, 2019
7
Moulin Rouge has many things to like about it, but comes off as inconsistent at times.
All of the actors were top notch. I believe it was Nicole Kidman's best performance of her career. Ewan McGregor usually doesn't add a lot of depth to his characters, but in this movie it was ample. Jim Broadbent was charismatic and Richard Roxburgh was a very convincing pervert, right down to his posture. I liked how well they developed each of these characters. The rest of the actors were also excellent, but the story didn't lend much depth to their character, and they simply came off as a backdrop or environment for the main four, often becoming a writers convenience or becoming a set of eyes we could see through from the outside looking in.
There were so many parts I enjoyed about this movie, more particularly the segments where Kidman and McGregor's relationship was explored. This made for a great second act of the movie. The first and third act I felt suffered from Baz Luhrmann's rapid, almost epileptic, editing style. His style is not not for everyone, but particularly in this movie, it didn't allow for much depth of the movie in the first and third act and came off as flashy and showy. This created pacing issues that I felt if he had slowed down and focused more on the characters instead of fitting as many shots into the move that he could, the story would have flowed a lot better.
The other major inconsistency of the movie was the theme it was building towards, and the theme it ultimately landed on. Throughout the entire movie, they are building a theme of faith in love no matter what the outcome, but the last minute and a half of the movie turns it into a tragedy that I felt was unwarranted and unearned. This would have been a palpable ending if the movie showed the characters doubting that maybe love wasn't enough, and then a tragedy strikes that proves the point. But instead we have the ending segment that shows us that all this guy's belief in love was absolutely for not, and that we are left to assume he must have been faking his belief the entire time, because it sure didn't seem like enough for him. This isn't about always getting a happy ending, it's about not getting an ending that was a cheap and quick way to evoke a particular emotion in the audience without really building into. It felt rushed, and again, unearned. (And I'm not talking about the actual event, but more about how the event affected the character.)
Otherwise, I really wanted to enjoy this movie more than I did. An excellent second act with outstanding performances and likable characters, but with the pacing issues and inconsistencies in building a movie that naturally flowed from one idea to the next keeps me from rating it higher. All in all, though, a fairly enjoyable and rewatch able film nonetheless.
