Burlesque

Awful.

It's impossible to know if [Christina Aguilera's] actually acting, since the music-video cutting rhythms don't give her time to sustain so much as a compound sentence, not that the script provides any.

As Burlesque ground along its obvious and well-worn path, my inner voice indeed shouted, "Take it off," though my request was directed toward the projection booth rather than the dancers onstage.

And it's this tension that rescues Burlesque - a film cursed with being too competent to be a Showgirls-style guilty pleasure, and too ropey to be really recommendable.

Burlesque is so bad that it's good: over-the-top, ridiculous fun.

The only relevant choreography would have shown Bob Fosse spinning out of his grave.

The glory of what Burlesque does well outshines any mistake.

...most people unfortunate to be involved in them come away with deep rooted and painful psychological scars. I'll conclude by saying I can't see that being any different for anyone who spends any time with Burlesque.

It has no story arc, no dramatic tension, just a lot of bump-and-grind. That'll be enough for people with a taste for camp but like the art form it is named after the movie is all tease and no follow through.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a more vibrant, energetic and musically inclined film this year.