Nine: Movie Review
By Megan Carroll
Nine is truly a spectacle of the eyes and ears for everyone. It is packed with great talent, marvelous costumes and interesting choreography but lacks in making a true bond with the typical audience member. To fully appreciate this film you need to do your homework. As a young movie buff, I was advised to look carefully into the origins of this Broadway musical and I feel it was 
the only reason I was able to make a connection with the film.
This film comes from the book by Arthur Kopit and Mario Fratti and then created into a Broadway musical with lyrics and music by Maury Yeston. The story is based on Mario Fratti’s adaptation of Federico Fellini’s semi-autobiographical film 8 ½. Fellini came up with the title 8 ½ from counting his bodies of work which included six full length films, two short films and one film that he co-directed. Yeston put a spine on that when titling the musical Nine stating that by adding music to 8 ½, “it’s like half a number more”.
The plot goes something like this: Not ten days before filming is suppose to begin on director Guido Contini’s (Daniel Day-Lewis) next big hit, we find that there is a huge problem; Contini hasn’t event written the script! Contending with a mid-life crisis and severe writer’s block, Contini finds himself more obsessed with his personal life than his professional and it is getting him into trouble. Suffocating himself and his creative genius with multiple relationships including haunting visions of his mother (Sophia Loren), an obsessive mistress (Penelope Cruz), his muse (Nicole Kidman) and his wife (Marion Cotillard) Contini finds himself struggling with balancing the demons that plague true artists and what he truly wants from reality. In the middle of all of this is a film career on the brink of destruction.
Comparing the research I did on the play and the film, director Rob Marshall seems to have taken a lighter approach to the musical itself and I think that is where the disconnect occurred. The play seemed to be much darker and really delved into Contini’s anguish and struggles. The film never allowed you to truly connect with his inner demons the way I imagine the Broadway version did. Yes, it was present in the film and yes, it was well acted by Lewis, but it left you needing and wanting more.
Visually, the film was stunning, jumping between black and white to color to gritty textures to whimsical dream sequences. Colleen Atwood designed the costumes for the film and all where a feast for the eyes. Truly bringing Marshall’s vision to life and only amplifying the beauty of the predominately female-based cast. I feel the music could have been more captivating than it was for contemporary movie audiences. If you would compare the score to Evita, Les Miserable or even Moulin Rouge you would find that it could not stand on its own.
All in all, Nine was a joy to watch but not very fulfilling for me. With such an amazing cast, Daniel Day Lewis and Marion Cotillard stealing the show, it was sad to see it not reach its true potential.
