8 1/2 + 1/2 = Nine

Nine is, more or less, a musical version of Fellini's 1963 film, 8 1/2. The 8 1/2 refers to the number of movies he had directed. Nine tells the story of a Fellini-esque Italian film director (Daniel Day-Lewis) as he tries to shoot his latest movie while his life slowly crumbles around him. The story of Day-Lewis' life is shown in the present as well as flashing back to the past as he bounces from woman to woman to woman without the will or ability to stop himself. He is also being haunted by his dead mother (Sophia Loren). Nine is directed by Rob Marshall. He started out as choreographer on Broadway and was nominated for six Tony Awards. His first film was Chicago. I never saw Nine or Chicago on the stage, but I think Nine is much better. I kind of napped through Chicago when I saw it, but there was no danger of that in Nine.

I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me like Nine so much The music was definitely great. Maybe it was the women (see below). Or maybe it was Daniel Day-Lewis' sunglasses (shown at left along with Marcello Mastroianni and his sunglasses in 8 1/2) or maybe it was his baby blue 1963 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce. Oh man, that car is sweet. Between the Alfa and those sunglasses, it's not hard to believe that Day-Lewis could pull all those women and all that trouble.

Nine has an amazing cast. I mean amazing. Take a look at the women in Daniel Day Lewis' troubled life in Nine: from left to right (standing), Judi Dench (his costume designer and confidant), Marion Cotillard (his wife), Sophia Loren (his mother), Nicole Kidman (his leading lady and muse), Kate Hudson (a fashion journalist). From left to right (sitting) Penelope Cruz (his mistress), Fergie (his first sexual experience). Judi Dench, in particular, is looking really great, and is not even the oldest in the cast since Sophia Loren is three months older. They are both 75.

Nine is a tragedy but one with some redemption. It is very operatic and Fergie is definitely the fat lady. Boy, does she ever have a voice. I never realized that listening to the Black Eyed Peas. She is great. But everyone in Nine gets their chance to perform in a big musical number. It's a new experience to see Kate Hudson in a movie like this, but she does well playing a musical version of herself. She looks a lot like her mother on Laugh-In. Kidman is good, but her part is almost a cameo. Dench really has fun with her part which a bit different from her usual. Cruz is playing Cruz and she does it very well. This is definitely Day-Lewis' movie and he is on stage all the time, but Marion Cottilard does a good job of sharing the limelight with him. She had her breakout year in 2008 winning the Oscar for her amazing performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose. She followed that up as Johnny Depp's girlfriend in Public Enemies and Day-Lewis' wife in Nine in 2009. She is always good.

Playing Fellini in a big Broadway musical might be daunting to most Hollywood actors, but Daniel Day-Lewis is not most Hollywood actors. He can pull it off and make it look easy. Nine has a lot of the feel of another cool film musical, All That Jazz, which starred Roy Scheider, and was written and directed by another choreographer turned director, Bob Fosse. In All That Jazz, Scheider is haunted by the Angel of Death (Jessica Lange) and drops into a similar death spiral to Day-Lewis' in Nine. But Nine is a bit more upbeat at the end. Life goes on, except when it doesn't. Go see Nine and put All That Jazz on your Netflix list.