Family Affairs and other matters

I went to see Rob Marshall’s film adaption of the Broadway stage musical “Nine” over the weekend. I wasn’t expecting great things. The reviews haven’t been fantastic and several friends were disappointed. I, however was not. I thought it was brilliant. Generally speaking I am not a fan of musicals, but there were more complex layers than usual and consequently for me, it worked.

The story takes us inside a man’s head, depicting the man as moulded by the women in his life. Guido, the troubled maestro, a well known Italian film director is played powerfully and brilliantly by Daniel Day-Lewis. The film is set in 1960′s Italy. You should see it if only for the very, very cool film footage; all vespas and sexy cars and black and white shots of Rome and the Amalfi Coast and beautiful clothes.

The cast of women is phenomenal – his mother, played by a scarily beautiful Sophia Loren appears from time to time when he is lost and needs advice. Penelope Cruz plays a brilliantly fragile and beautiful mistress – oozing pure sex appeal in his fantasy image of her, whilst living the nightmare that is “the other woman” in reality. His Audrey-Hepburnesque wife is pure genius as the empty, hollow, neglected, angry, disappointed wife – especially when she virtually spits out the song “My Husband Makes Movies”. Nicole Kidman was his gorgeous muse, Fergie the lead singer in The Black Eyed Peas played a very sexy raw early childhood fantasy, Kate Hudson was a gorgeous American Vogue journalist and Dame Judi Dench, his closest ally and costume designer was brilliant singing her Folie Bergere song.

I highly recommend it.