Burlesque (2010)
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An aspiring singer from Iowa moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams in the world of burlesque.
The story
Alice "Ali" Marilyn Rose is a young waitress in Iowa who dreams of becoming a professional dancer. After her selfish boss refuses to pay her salary, she moves to Los Angeles and begins attending auditions with little success. One night, she discovers a burlesque club where she eventually manages to secure a job waiting tables. After a lead dancer becomes pregnant, Ali performs a difficult routine and persuades the owner, Tess Scali, to hire her as a performer. This success infuriates Nikki, a lead performer struggling with alcoholism, setting the stage for a rivalry between the two dancers.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Alice "Ali" Marilyn Rose, a waitress from Iowa, moves to Los Angeles to become a professional dancer. She finds work as a waitress at a burlesque club owned by Tess Scali. After a lead dancer, Georgia, becomes pregnant, Ali auditions and is hired, sparking a rivalry with Nikki, a struggling lead performer. Ali eventually becomes the club's main attraction after a performance is sabotaged by Nikki, who is forced to sing live. While the club's popularity grows, Tess faces financial difficulties. Nikki eventually quits after a falling out with Tess, but later reconciles with her. Meanwhile, Ali becomes romantically involved with Jack Miller, a songwriter-bartender, despite his engagement to Natalie. After a brief separation and a misunderstanding involving Natalie, Ali and Jack rekindle their romance. Ali also discovers that a wealthy clubgoer, Marcus Gerber, intends to demolish the club to build a skyscraper. She and Tess manage to secure the air rights, saving the club. The film concludes with Ali performing a new song with the full troupe, celebrating her success.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 119
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Antin
- Writers
- Steven Antin · writer; Diablo Cody · uncredited revision; Susannah Grant · uncredited revision
- Cast and characters
- Cher · Tess Scali; Christina Aguilera · Alice Marilyn "Ali" Rose; Eric Dane · Marcus Gerber; Cam Gigandet · John "Jack" Miller; Julianne Hough · Georgia; Alan Cumming · Alexis; Peter Gallagher · Vincent "Vince" Scali; Kristen Bell · Nikki
- Genres
- musical; drama; romance; dance
- Themes
- ambition; rivalry; romance; artistic expression
- Tone and mood
- campy; romantic; musical
- Premise and plot tags
- backstage musical; underdog story; rivalry
- Content notes
- LGBTQ-related
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast's performance and the soundtrack but criticized the writing. It performed modestly at the box office.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 37% · review count: 178; Metacritic · score: 47 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Globe · Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 68th · nominated; Grammy · Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media · 54th · nominated
- Production trivia
- The film was Screen Gems' most expensive film, with the exception of the Resident Evil films.; The exterior of the Ricardo Montalbán Theatre served as the "Burlesque Lounge".; The film inspired everything, from drag queen revues to viral internet moments.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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