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Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh ... see more see more... , Garry McDonald , Jacek Koman , Matthew Whittet , Kerry Walker , Caroline O'Connor , David Wenham , Christine Anu , Natalie Jackson Mendoza , Lara Mulcahy , Kylie Minogue , Carolin O'Connor , Ozzy Osbourne

The third film from pop-music-obsessed director Baz Luhrmann tweaks the conventions of the musical genre by mixing a period romance with anachronistic dialogue and songs in the style of his previous R... read more read more...omeo+Juliet (1996). Ewan McGregor stars as Christian, who leaves behind his bourgeois father during the French belle époque of the late 1890s to seek his fortunes in the bohemian underworld of Montmartre, Paris. Christian meets the absinthe- and alcohol-addicted artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo), who introduces him to a world of sex, drugs, music, theater, and the scandalous dance known as the cancan, all at the Moulin Rouge, a decadent dance hall, brothel, and theater that's the brainchild of Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). Christian also meets and falls into a tragically doomed romance with the courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman), who becomes the star of the play he's writing, which parallels the couple's romance and utilizes rock music from a century later, including songs by Nirvana, Madonna, the Beatles, and Queen, among others. Loosely based on the opera Orpheus in the Underworld, Moulin Rouge was shown in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

88% liked it

468,235 ratings

Critics

76% liked it

187 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 6 min.

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann

Release Date: May 16, 2001

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DVD Release Date: December 18, 2001

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Stats: 45,225 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (45,225)

  • blkbomb
    May 15, 2012
    blkbomb
    Christian: The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return. 

    "This Story Is About Freedom"

    Moulin Rouge is a film that I appreciate more than I like. I enjoyed it to an extent, but this really isn't my type of film. I will say it is a lot better than... read more Luhrman's Romeo+ Juliet. This is a hyper visual musical feast for the eyes and ears. There's a lot going on in the background, with amazing sets and stunning visuals. If I was basing this movie purely on art direction, it would be perfect. It's one of the most visually fantastic movies I have ever seen. The film never goes wrong really, I'm just not that huge of a fan of musicals. If you love musicals, this is an absolute must watch. 

    At the heart of the film is a love story between a young writer and a courtesan. I love the two performers in the leaden Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Both are great running around at hyper pace, dancing, and singing. But there's a lot more here than your traditional love story. There's like twelve layers of story going on at any given time. There's so much going on during the film visually, lyrically, symbolically, and structurally that it demands your full attention, and never becomes boring. It's always entertaining and a lot of the time groundbreaking.

    Moulin Rouge deserves the praise it has gotten. It may be weird, it may be a bit of a mess; but it is also just one hell of a film experience. It's original in the way it tells its story, and there's really nothing I can say about it that is negative. It's worth a look for sure.
  • fb1672039553
    February 4, 2012
    fb1672039553
    This reminded me of Michel Gondry's playful visionary style (The Science of Sleep, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), but with a much bigger budget. It is extravagantly silly, fun, and simple-minded, with occasionally-captivating singing performances.
  • jjnxn
    January 27, 2012
    jjnxn
    Based on set & costume design alone this is a five star movie but the story doesn't have one original idea and is stretched out to no purpose. Jim Broadbent and John Leguizamo are terrific, Ewan McGregor good but Kidman is as always barely adequate and at times downright awful bu... read moret at least she can carry a tune.
  • jamers2011
    January 13, 2012
    jamers2011
    Finally got a chance to rewatch this, and I loved it even more this time. What a film!...
  • movieguru12
    December 4, 2011
    movieguru12
    A beautiful tale of a courtesan and a poor writer, who fall in love in Paris, the year 1900, and how the music from Elton John, The Beatles, Madonna, and more tell their romantic tale. A must see for those who are fans of Nicole Kidman and may I just say if you don't already love... read more Ewan McGregor, you will after you watch this bittersweet tale of true love.
  • TheGame90
    September 18, 2011
    TheGame90
    I don't have much to say....It was good
  • fb223580
    August 3, 2011
    fb223580
    Kind of fun, but switched too abruptly from campy parody to maudlin tearjerker, back and forth, and I hate the latter. As well as Ewan McGregor's dreamy, starry-eyed idealism. Ugh.
  • jarobb3
    June 15, 2011
    jarobb3
    One of my favorite movies. Time to watch it again.
  • jennifxu
    May 31, 2011
    jennifxu
    Moulin Rouge is a bit of a mess. It still baffles me why this movie is so popular among the mainstream - it's kind of a naughty version of Glee, with very little stirring emotional content embedded inside - but at least Ewan McGregor is really hot. That's basically the reason why... read more this movie appeals to me so much.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    May 10, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

    A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources.

    ... read more>REVIEW
    The first 20 minutes, a kaleidoscopic whirl of colour, sound and zooming cameras, was right over the top, and probably should be avoided by anyone prone to epileptic fits, but once things settle down this is actually a charming pastiche of circus and stagecraft with a delightful soundtrack featuring a pot-pourri of love songs from most of last century. The plot is gossamer-thin, but the two principal romantic performances from Ewan McGregor as Christian and Nicole Kidman as the doomed Satine are powerful and convincing. They are supported by a galaxy of Australian talent, both in front and behind the camera, and there a few good imported performances such as Jim Broadbent as the impresario Zidler, John Leguisamo as Toulouse-Lautrec and Jacek Koman as the Narcoleptic Argentinian.

    The musical numbers are a bit chopped about - the MTV cutting style makes a bit difficult to jump in and enjoy at times, but there are some inspired take-offs. Jim Broadbent doing Maddona's `Like a Virgin' as he tries to persuade The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) that's what Satine the courtesan will be like when she gets to his boudoir is hilarious. There is a very athletic production of `Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend' and a nice variation of `The Sound of Music.' The cast do the singing, and sing well.

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Critic Reviews

Todd McCarthy
July 6, 2010
Todd McCarthy, Variety

Moulin Rouge is a tour de force of artifice, a dazzling pastiche of musical and visual elements at the service of a blatantly artificial story. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
April 27, 2007
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Mr. Luhrmann and his colleagues have worked like whirling dervishes to make the plot look like it's moving. Full Review

Peter Rainer
January 22, 2002
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine

[Luhrmann] gives you way too much of what you didn't really want in the first place: soulless high jinks. Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann
June 7, 2001
Stanley Kauffmann, New Republic

The net result of all this cinematic whirling, of the "wrong" music and of the parodic plot, is that nothing at all in the film moves us.

Richard Corliss
June 4, 2001
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

The film dances; the heart sings. Full Review

Desson Thomson
June 1, 2001
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

A wonderful postmodern hug of a movie. Full Review

Rita Kempley
June 1, 2001
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

A magnificent mess of a postmodern musical. Full Review

Edward Guthmann
June 1, 2001
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle

So cheeky, aggressive and bursting with vitality that it can't help being annoying and exhilarating at the same time. Full Review

Joe Baltake
June 1, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

It's all very festive, like a party you didn't really want to go to but then can't leave once you get there. Full Review

Eric Harrison
June 1, 2001
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Disappointing because it could have been so much more. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Satine: You're gonna be bad for business, I can tell.
    • Christian: I first came to Paris one year ago. It was 1899, the summer of love. I knew nothing of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler or Satine. The world had been swept up in the Bohemian Revolution and I had travelled from London to be a part of it. On a hill near Paris, was the village of Montmatre. It was not what my father had said but the center of the Bohemian world. Musicians, painters, writers. They were known as the children of the revolution. Yes, I had come to live a penniless existence. I had come to write about truth, beauty, freedom and at which I believed above all things, love. But there was only one problem, I've never been in love!
    • Toulouse-Lautrec: The story is about...it's about...about
    • Christian: It's about love!
    • Duke of Worcester: Love?
    • Christian: Love. Overcoming all obstacles.
    • Toulouse-Lautrec: And it's set in Switzerland!
    • Duke of Worcester: Switzerland?
    • Zidler: It's not in Switzerland!
    • Christian: INDIA! It's set in India! And there's this courtesan. The most beautiful courtesan in all the world. But her kingdom's been invaded by an evil mah rajah. And in order to save her kingdom, she must seduce the evil mah rajah. But on the night of the seduction, she mistakes a penniless... a penniless sitar player for the evil mah rajah. And she falls in love with him! He wasn't trying to trick her or anything. It's just that he was dressed as a mah rajah because he's appearing in a play.
    • Christian: Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And one not so very special day, I went to my typewriter,I sat down and I wrote our story. A story about a time. A story about a place. A story about the people. But above all things, a story about love. A love that will live forever. The end.
    • Christian: The hills are alive with the sound of music. With songs they have sung for a thousand years.
    • Christian: Love is a many splendored thing. Love lifts us up where we belong. All you need is love.
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Moulin Rouge! Trivia

  • Which character did Kylie Minogue play in Moulin Rouge?  Answer »
  • True or false, While filming the Moulin Rouge, Nicole Kidman injured herself during one of the dance scenes, and therefore they had to shoot her from the waist up only in some scenes beacause she was in a wheelchair?  Answer »
  • What singer has a song in each of the following films? : The Lion King Almost Famous Moulin Rouge   Answer »
  • What was Ewan McGregor's character's name in Moulin Rouge?  Answer »
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