Nine (directed by Rob Marshall, 2009)

First and foremost, this film is a musical so if you don’t like musicals you probably are not going to like Nine. If musicals do not turn you off than Nine is a stunning film. Acting virtuoso Daniel Day Lewis plays Guido Contini a legendary Italian film director who finds himself in a creative rut as the deadlines draw nearer for this latest and most ambitious film. Contini is an obvious homage to the real life director Fredrico Fellini and the circumstances surrounding the making of his film 8 ½. This film contains all the glitz and glam of the 60’s Italian film scene. Guido’s internal struggles are symbolized on screen through interactions with a wonderful cast of beautiful women.

Marion Cotillard plays Luisa, the director’s frustrated but loyal wife who knows the business is both killing her husband but also is his reason for living. Cotillard’s vocal talents are on display in the film’s most stirring musical numbers. Penelope Cruz plays Carla, Guido’s impossibly beautiful yet somewhat unstable mistress who oozes with sex appeal and probably secured Cruz the Oscar nomination through her lone musical performance. Nicole Kidman has a bit role as the directors leading lady and Kate Hudson caps off the movie’s sexual energy as an American society reporter obsessed with Contini.

Director Rob Marshall employs a wonderful mix of color and music to capture the fantastic and sometimes bizarre nature of the creative process. If the movie has a flaw it is that the viewer is not always certain what sequences are real and what remains a figment of Contini’s tortured imagination but if you’ve ever seen a Fellini movie (particularly 8 ½) the blurring of this line is in some ways the whole point.

Nine is both sexy and dark and a fitting tribute to a specific era and brand of filmmaking. Day Lewis is good but not at his best but he is more than bolstered by the bevy of beauties around him. Proper due must also be given to performances of heavyweights Sophia Loren and Dame Judi Dench who play Guido’s mother and confidant respectively. They provide an asexual foil to the other women and serve as a reminder to both Contini and the viewer that the most elusive part of success is gaining the approval of those closest to you. For someone who has been at the mercy of the creative process, Nine finds a way to hit close to home but even if you cannot relate to it, watching this movie unfold is supremely entertaining.