|
Sight unseen, that initially appeared to be the case with Burlesque. Let’s examine the evidence, shall we? An aging entertainer returning to the screen after being away for years. (Think Mae West in the ghastly Myra Breckinridge.) A pop sensation in her initial key big-screen role. (Think Mariah Carey in the abysmal Glitter.) A musical milieu that has been the website of some enduring camp classics. (Think Showgirls, Staying Alive, etc.) Alas, in the case of Burlesque, ’tis not meant to be. Certainly, the film contains some risible moments, but nothing wretched enough to plunge it into the bowels of poor cinema. Ultimately, it’s too competently made to be a genuine stinker yet too indebted to hoary show biz clichés to come close to succeeding. It’s punishingly overlong (even at just under two hours), yet it does provide some flashes of entertainment bang for the matinee-price buck. For what it’s worth, it’s in all probability the most effective 2-star movie of 2010 — and if that’s a prime example of damning with faint praise, it’s nevertheless the greatest I can muster.
|
