Movie · 2010 · Drama, Romance · 1h 59m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 3.3/10 (325.9K ratings)
It takes a legend... to make a star
Overview
Ali leaves behind a troubled life and follows her dreams to Los Angeles, where she lands a job as a cocktail waitress at the Burlesque Lounge, a once-majestic theater that houses an inspired musical revue. Vowing to perform there, she makes the leap from bar to stage, helping restore the club's former glory.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.3/10
IMDb: 6.4/10
Letterboxd: 3.46/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
Metacritic: 47
TMDB: 7.2/10
Director
Steve Antin
Production
Screen Gems, Bedford Falls Productions
Cast
Cher, Christina Aguilera, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane, Peter Gallagher, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, Dianna Agron, David Walton, Glynn Turman, Terrence J, Chelsea Traille, Tanee McCall, JaQuel Knight, Allison Kyler, Tyne Stecklein, Paula Van Oppen, Isabella Hofmann
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, campy backstage musical with a strong diva appeal and a knowingly over-the-top sense of fun, but the script is thin and the drama often feels assembled from better movies. It works best as a star-powered spectacle and a queer-cult comfort watch rather than a truly polished musical drama.
Best for
fans of campy, so-bad-it's-good entertainment
viewers who want big diva performances and costume-heavy spectacle
people who enjoy backstage-showbiz melodrama
audiences looking for a guilty-pleasure musical
Skip if
you want a tightly written romance or drama
you are allergic to cheesy dialogue and predictable plotting
you prefer musicals with stronger choreography and songs
you want subtle character development
Overview
Burlesque is a glittery, overcaffeinated backstage fantasy that knows exactly how to sell a number, even when the story around it is barely holding together. The appeal is obvious: Cher brings old-school authority, Christina Aguilera has the vocal power the movie is built around, and the whole thing leans hard into fantasy, rhinestones, and emotional uplift.
Worth noting
As a drama, it is flimsy and often ridiculous, with conflicts that resolve too neatly and supporting characters who feel like they wandered in from a better, sharper movie. But that looseness is also part of the charm for viewers who like their entertainment loud, melodramatic, and a little bit trashy in the best way.
Bottom line
If you come for polish, you may be disappointed. If you come for diva energy, queer-cult camp, and a movie that wants to be a big night out, it delivers enough to earn its following.
Top Letterboxd reviews
robbie (5★) · 6074 likes
was this good? absolutely not. five stars.
BK (2★) · 4439 likes
my favorite part was when Christina Aguilera suddenly becomes a real estate professional and teaches Cher about air rights
wexlers (3.5★) · 4252 likes
To watch burlesque for xtina is to show courage.
To watch burlesque for cher is to show wisdom. And to watch burlesque for kristen bell is to show severe cases of homosexuality.
Emma (4.5★) · 3539 likes
i wish cher and stanley tucci were my flamboyant burlesque dancing parents
coleman spilde (5★) · 3526 likes
SO FUCKING BAD this is my NINTH time seeing this and it just gets worse every time I love it SO MUCH