NINE (USA/Italy 2009) ****
Directed by Rob Marshall

It has been 1963 since Fellini’s masterpiece 8 ½ astounded cineastes the world over.  Unless one has recently re-seen 8 ½ (as I did last year on DVD), one cannot fully appreciate the efforts director Rob Marshall (CHICAGO) and the talented crew devoted to capture the spirit, mood and atmosphere of the film.

One can hardly expect the same reactions after viewing NINE, based on the Broadway musical inspired by 8 ½. Remember that 8 ½ was a masterpiece of dreams, women and images.  Still, NINE puts the audience into the period Italian era despite the cast an largely speaking English with Italian accents (including Spanish actress Penelope Cruz who sounds so funny.) The fast cars, the sleek costumes, the Nino Rota sounding musical score all help.  But with the elaborate overblown musical numbers, NINE is pure fantasy fun and nothing else.  NINE is no masterwork, but it is tremendously enjoyable with big Oscar winning stars hamming it up – full time.

The story concerns famed director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis)losing his artistic verve.  Hounded day and night by his producer and crew regarding his new movie, Guido has not but started on a single page of script.  Worst still his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard), mistress Carla (Penelope Cruz), past loves Saraghina (Fergie), Stephanie (Kate Hudson), Claudia (Nicole Kidman) and even Mamma (Sophia Loren) and his wardrobe lady (Judi Dench) will not leave him alone.  Each is given a grand musical number to perform – the best of which belongs to Kate Hudson’s Cinema Italiano, courtesy of a combination of great camerawork and choreography by Dion Beebe. 

NINE is all gloss and emptiness, just like the most of glorified studio cinema.  NINE feels forced partly because everyone tries so hard to get the period Italiano era perfect that the film feels as hollow as how the character Guido feels as he stumbles throughout the film.  Still as far as gloss goes, NINE is the best that it gets.