Back in 2002, Rob Marshall did the almost unthinkable: He created a successful movie based on a Broadway musical, Chicago, which wasn’t that bad. For a musical. Several folks have tried to duplicate that success, with pretty mediocre results (See: Rent). Marshall is back, four years after his sophomore effort, Memoirs of Geisha, this time with another musical, Nine, based on the autobiography of Frederico Fellini.
The musical stars, among others, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Fergie, Penelope Cruz and, get this, Kate Hudson. I’d be very worried if that was all, but the lead male is being played by Daniel Day Lewis and Daniel Day Lewis doesn’t make bad movies. Ever. (Look it up: He may have made films you don’t care for, but he’s never made a bad one). Day-Lewis will star as Guido Contini, a famous film director approaching 40 and trying to find a balance between his personal and professional lives. Marion Cottilard — scrumptious, beautiful, sophisticated Marion Cottilard — will play his wife. Those other women probably play mistresses.
Unfortunately, Day-Lewis — while prevalent in the trailer — never speaks, but it’s worth a look just to see what Kate Hudson looks like in an adult musical. Plus, there’s a little Fergie in it, and I’ll just let y’all make the uncouth gender ambiguous jokes.
OK .. Daniel Day Lewis I get. Judi Dench I get. Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and even Fergie I get. But Kate Hudson? That, I don't get. She can't act and I've never heard her sing, so what does she add? Sure, she's very pretty, but then so are lots of other girls in Hollywood. And some of them even have talent.
Posted by: Carolina Girl at May 14, 2009 10:58 AM
The sooner someone casts Fergie in a gothic vampire flick, the better.
I think this'll be one of those movies where I find myself counting down to the release date.
Posted by: Ling at May 14, 2009 10:59 AM
She is so sexy!! i know a place you can see such girls==Seekingtall. Co m==
Posted by: gate green at May 14, 2009 11:04 AM
Goddamnit!!!
My wife is going to make me watch this.
Posted by: Kballs at May 14, 2009 11:05 AM
Was that Sophia Loren around the 2-minute mark, and again at 2:05? Also, I adore Dame Judi. She's fantastic.
This looks both beautiful and amazing. I love musicals hard, so I'll definitely be seeing this. I'm just sad I have to wait all the way until November...
It is Sophia Loren. I'm a big fan of Nine already, so I'll give the rundown:
Loren: D D-L's mother. She's dead, but she shows up in flashbacks.
Dench: His producer. He's making a movie for her. She wants it to be a musical. he has forgotten that this is what they agreed on.
Kidman: His muse, the actress who stars in most of his films
Cotillard we went over.
Cruz: His mistress.
Hudson: Dench's assistant. Actually a fairly small role.
Fergie: In flashback, a prostitute who taught him the ways of the world when he was small.
The show has a great score, and apparently the composer is adding a song or two, so I'm pretty excited. Now if only I could watch the trailer on this computer...
Posted by: Dorian at May 14, 2009 11:21 AM
Wow, the song was actually pretty decent. I'm not entirely opposed to seeing this, which is as great a compliment as I can give to a movie that stars Fergie and Kate Hudson.
Didn't watch the trailer (don't like musicals, though I do enjoy opera). This might be interesting in a meta kinda way cause Daniel Day-Lewis will have an opportunity to chew scenery in a movie, that is, in reality, actual movie scenery.
Posted by: Groundloop at May 14, 2009 11:40 AM
I LOVE musicals. This makes me very excited. Ling, we can count down together. Shall we start on, hmmm, Sept 25th, that gives us 60 days. Or we could start sooner. Is now too soon?
You use "an" when the word following it has a vowel sound, like "an exciting movie" or "an unbelievable scene," etc.
Just sayin'. The More You Know...
Posted by: Slash at May 14, 2009 11:53 AM
"An Musical with Oscar Potential Starring Kate Hudson and Fergie?"
An Musical?
Posted by: henchman for hire at May 14, 2009 11:56 AM
Damn you, Slash. You beat me to it.
Posted by: henchman for hire at May 14, 2009 11:57 AM
Musical what? ... Fergie what? ... Damn, I wandered in here hoping this was a sequel to "Se7en." You know, like "Se7en II" = "Nine"?
Fergie could well be the ultimate butterface, he could.
Posted by: , (the commenter formerly known as bucdaddy) at May 14, 2009 12:02 PM
No no no. There's already a movie coming out this year with this name, and I'll enjoy 9 significantly more than Nine.
Posted by: branded at May 14, 2009 12:12 PM
I can't watch. I wonder if I can get an edit of just the DDL parts.
Posted by: Cindy at May 14, 2009 12:36 PM
Whatever, I want to see this now.
Posted by: Kolby at May 14, 2009 12:36 PM
Will we have to see Fergie's Man hands? 'Cuz that's a deal breaker (I'm not going to see this anyway, who am I kidding).
Posted by: ponch at May 14, 2009 12:41 PM
As long as Fergie doesn't sing, I don't care.
Posted by: FabMax at May 14, 2009 1:00 PM
If we could get a bag for Fergie's head, that would be phenomenal. Everything neck-down is ridiculous...good ridiculous.
Posted by: Abe Froman at May 14, 2009 1:05 PM
Yes, I will see this. Just from the preview and that song and that cast. I'm so in. This looks like what Chicago wanted to be before it cast Renee Squinchy-Face.
was that sophia loren i saw in there too? what a beauty!
i'm kinda irked by nicole, kate, and fergie, but it does look promising.
that song they used in it was pretty kick ass too-reminded me of a shirley bassey james bond theme.
Posted by: gem at May 14, 2009 3:07 PM
But wait, who was singing the song in the trailer? If that's a song from the actual movie, I'd say it's not a bad sign at all. Although I'm wondering who would forsake Cotillard for Cruz...not that Cruz isn't lovely, but c'mon, it's Marion Cotillard.
Posted by: Geetch at May 14, 2009 3:56 PM
What! That isn't based on Fellini's autobiography, it's a remake of
8 1/2. Granted 8 1/2 is basically an autobiography, but still, I can't believe they are getting away with this. They have the audacity to call it Nine as though it's part of Fellini's body of work. Grrrr.
Posted by: OT at May 14, 2009 4:14 PM
Really, Geetch? You think beautiful women don't get cheated on? 'Cause we do. It's not about who looks better, it's about "who's next?"
Posted by: CatBallou at May 14, 2009 4:15 PM
And Daniel Day Lewis and Penelope Cruz are great, but they are not Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale.
Posted by: OT at May 14, 2009 4:17 PM
I agree branded, I'm really excited for 9, and this one confused me by making me think the syfy sci-fi masterpiece I was waiting for got turned into a musical.
What I don't understand is why Antonio Banderas isn't starring in this seeing as he was Guido in the revival on Broadway.
Posted by: SJ at May 14, 2009 4:52 PM
The title refers to how many minutes I'll be able to tolerate it.
Though Fergie's breats do look yummy in that still shot up top.
Posted by: Case at May 14, 2009 5:16 PM
CatBallou, I realize that people get cheated on, regardless of what they look like. My comment was semi-facetious.
Posted by: Geetch at May 14, 2009 5:31 PM
I was curious about the singer for the trailer, too, so I checked out who sings the song in the play -- and it's the character Fergie is playing. That's not Fergie singing, is it? Because, damn, that would be...surprising.
Yes, I will see this. Just from the preview and that song and that cast. I'm so in. This looks like what Chicago wanted to be before it cast Renee Squinchy-Face.
Thank you. Exactly.
Posted by: Louise at May 14, 2009 6:49 PM
I often think that Daniel Day Lewis is what James Dean would have become if he had lived longer.
I might see this. Not a huge musical fan but it looks interesting. Except for the awful Kate Hudson. Yuck.
Louise, the song does sort of sound like Fergie. She may be a manly ex-meth-head, but the woman can sing (when she wants to). This looks good!
Posted by: Ariel at May 14, 2009 9:25 PM
OT, the show is a musical version of 8 1/2, just like sweet charity was a musical version of Nights of Cabiria. Both musicals came out on Broadway when Fellini was still alive...
I love Daniel Day Lewis, but not nearly as much as I love Fellini, and I hated pretty much everything that I just saw in that clip. Fergie as La Saraghina?!?! Gross!
Posted by: Carrie at May 14, 2009 10:37 PM
For all of you asking, yes that is DEFINITELY Fergie singing. Many of you think Fergie is a bubble gum pop artist, but half of her album is more than that. She can really sing. Youtube the songs Won't LEt You Fall, Bailamos, Barracuda, Finally, or even her singing the National Anthem. Fergie delivers.
Posted by: Me at May 15, 2009 1:11 AM
Those evil genius marketing basterds. Color me interested. With crayons. Not the oil paints, that'd be too sticky and final, things best saved for true love. Not the acrylics either, too quick to dry into certainty and that's far jumping the gun. But more than pencil-level interest, oh yes. Bright, outside the lines, yet wipeable crayon. That's my interest.
I must be a sucker for musicals (even though Chicago left me really frustrated, that scrawny Reneee ruined it for me). As long as these characters aren't just the actors being congratulated for being the '_____ of their time'. Except Sophia. She can be the '____' of Italians forever by the looks of her. Splendid.
Posted by: replica at May 15, 2009 1:57 AM
be Italian?
It looks like 8 1/2, rather than a Fellini biopic.
And considering the interest Fellini showed on women like Valeria Marini, I guess Fergie is ok for her role.
Posted by: gio at May 15, 2009 4:44 AM
Yeah, that sounds a lot like Fergie. I'm not a fan of hers, but I find it hilarious that so many of you knock someone that you've obviously never heard sing before.
As long as Fergie doesn't sing, I don't care.
Posted by: FabMax at May 14, 2009 1:00 PM
I mean... C'mon!
Posted by: kayla at May 15, 2009 9:24 AM
wait so does he never speak through the entire movie or just not speak for the trailer?
Posted by: Mr. PAtches at May 16, 2009 3:17 AM
Daniel Day Lewis! I love him so much. My friend has the most intense boy crush on him, it's almost frightening. We watched "Unbearable Lightness of Being" and he was practically slobbering. "There Will Be Blood" makes him weak in the knees.
Anyway, this looks good. And holy crap at the attractiveness of the cast. Sophia Loren, Marion, Penelope, and DDL? That is a lot of international hotness right there.
Does Fergie Fug piss on herself?