Nine (2009)

Movie · 2009 · Drama, Music, Romance · 1h 58m · PG-13 · English

Curator score: 1.2/10 (69.4K ratings)

This holiday season, be Italian.

Overview

Arrogant, self-centered movie director Guido Contini finds himself struggling to find meaning, purpose, and a script for his latest film endeavor. With only a week left before shooting begins, he desperately searches for answers and inspiration from his wife, his mistress, his muse, and his mother.

Ratings

Director

Rob Marshall

Production

Relativity Media, The Weinstein Company, Marc Platt Productions, Lucamar Productions

Cast

Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Ricky Tognazzi, Enzo Cilenti, Giuseppe Cederna, Elio Germano, Andrea Di Stefano, Roberto Nobile, Amy Bailey, Claudia Mancinelli, Remo Remotti, Michele Alhaique, Martina Stella, Valerio Mastandrea

Where to watch

Amazon Prime Video, FilmBox+, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

Curator Review

Verdict

A glossy, star-studded musical that’s more fascinating as a stylish misfire than as a fully satisfying film. It has bursts of visual flair, strong performances from the ensemble, and plenty of camp appeal, but the storytelling is thin and the emotional core never quite lands.

Best for

  • viewers who enjoy big, theatrical musicals even when they’re messy
  • fans of camp, glamour, and fashion-forward production design
  • people curious about Fellini-inspired showbiz melodrama
  • audiences who like watching major stars commit hard to outrageous material

Skip if

  • you want a tightly written or emotionally coherent musical
  • you dislike self-indulgent, male-gaze-heavy storytelling
  • you need memorable songs that stand on their own
  • you’re not in the mood for a polished but hollow prestige production

Overview

Nine is the kind of movie that looks expensive, feels chaotic, and somehow remains impossible to ignore. Rob Marshall stages it like a fever dream of couture, desire, and creative panic, with Daniel Day-Lewis wandering through the wreckage as a director who has no idea how to finish his own life, let alone his film. The cast is full of heavy hitters, and several of them make the most of the material even when the material is fighting them.

Top Letterboxd reviews

Sean (0.5★) · 620 likes

this is a movie for people who think olive garden is real italian food

vi (4★) · 412 likes

fuck all y'all i love musicals

Sam (2★) · 288 likes

everyone in this movie hates clothing. everyone in this movie is so fucking horny and they dance so sexually but it can’t escape that PG-13 rating. Marion Cotillard minus her Edith Piaf skills. Daniel Day-Lewis minus anything he’s ever taken seriously. Penelope Cruz is sexy what’s new. Sophia Loren and Judi Dench are old what’s new. it’s basically Moulin Rouge! but with a cheaper budget, smaller locations and less editing. GUIDO GUIDO GUIDO

✨𝒜𝓇𝒾𝓃✨ (2★) · 280 likes

This whole movie felt like a very long, misogynistic Chanel commercial.

danica (3★) · 249 likes

i can definitely see why people don't like this but i spent the whole movie screaming over daniel day lewis serving LOOKS so i had a good time

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Topics

musical, showbiz, creative block, midlife crisis, desire, infidelity, self-indulgence, camp, glamour, fashion

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