# "Moulin Rouge" is a big foetid, stinking, steaming pile of crap **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658 "2004-05-05T16:07:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Izzybella](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e56c9b/32.png) [@Izzybella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Izzybella)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/21 "2004-05-05T17:42:03Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, however. I can’t even begin to describe the shit I get from people when I tell them I absolutely hated _Pulp Fiction_. Brief thread hijack–I am so glad you didn’t like Pulp Fiction. I thought I was the only one. I absolutely could not get into it. Am glad to hear I wasn’t alone. Returning you to your regularly scheduled thread… ---
**Author:** ![DaddyTimesTwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@DaddyTimesTwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaddyTimesTwo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/22 "2004-05-05T17:53:40Z")
I’ve commented on MR before, but I don’t mind saying it again. I really really wanted to like this movie. I read a bunch or reviews that were so positive. I never made it to the theatre, but rented it (and I don’t think the small screen/speakers had much to do with it). Even when I was turning it off after about 30 minutes, I wanted to like it. I place all the blame on Lurmann. I was confused. I had no idea what was going on. I thought some things were supposed to be funny but I wasn’t laughing. I don’t remember anything about the music. The set design and artwork etc was incredible. If a different editor could piece it together a little differently I think I might like it. As it stands, ugh. No thanks. In short, **acsenray** , I agree. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/23 "2004-05-05T17:58:52Z")
Because I respect **Eve’s** taste in movies, I rented this and watched it. Now, I adore Jim Broadbent, and could watch his opening “Master of Ceremonies” scene over and over again, but I’m afraid the rest of the movie left me cold. About the time Nicole Kidman was writhing around on the bed, we couldn’t take it anymore and turned it off. It just didn’t grab me, although I respect the production quality and the look of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/24 "2004-05-05T17:59:08Z")
> [@paulberserker](#): > > And Kylie Minogue’s rubbish. She’s in it for all of eight seconds, purely as eye candy, fer cryin’ out loud. (Ozzy Osbourne is the voice.) I can understand plenty of reasons to hate _MR!_, but this ain’t one. I love _Moulin Rouge!_ If nothing else, it’s creative, and I happen to like the music, color, and the whole spectacle. It seems made for the stage, and I hope to god it’s produced as such some day. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/25 "2004-05-05T18:10:05Z")
I originally didn’t think I was going to like it, so I never saw it in the movie theater. Evetually I saw it on video and really enjoyed it. I felt it worked, despite the fact it really shouldn’t. And strangely enough, I really didn’t like the Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet(and I haven’t seen Strictly Ballroom). ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/26 "2004-05-05T18:10:08Z")
I’ve only seen about 10 minutes of _Moulin Rouge_, but finally turned it off once I got over the jaw-dropping fit of **WTF???**. :eek: I grew up with musicals. I love musicals. I love opera. But after doing my best to excise those 10 minutes out of my memory, I have to conclude that I wouldn’t like the rest of the movie either. Maybe I’m too much of a purist. ☹ And I didn’t like _Pulp Fiction_ either. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/27 "2004-05-05T18:26:05Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > I agree with you completely, except that it’s the best musical in the last 20 years and one of the most delightful films ever made, with the best cinematography and . . . oh, wait, I _don’t_ agree with you! > > That is all. What she said. ---
**Author:** ![oioithatsyerlot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9d8465/32.png) [@oioithatsyerlot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oioithatsyerlot)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/28 "2004-05-05T18:28:44Z")
I liked Strictly Ballroom quite a bit, and even enjoyed R+J when it came out. I like many musicals, and I’m not a purist. But MR was one of the worst movies I’ve seen in years. I first saw it in the theatre - my sister LOVED it and had me go with her one of the times she went - and within 40 minutes I was fast asleep and snoring. When it came out on dvd my girlfriend rented it. I thought, “okay, maybe at home with a beer and some weed I’ll see what’s so good about this flick.” Halfway through, when we both realized we were looking at the ground rather than the screen because we were embarrassed for the actors, we turned it off. It was like a dog turd spraypainted gold. It shines but it stinks. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/29 "2004-05-05T18:30:45Z")
I started a thread about this movie just [a month ago](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=251295) or so. In case anybody’s interested. And I adored “Pulp Fiction”. And “Moulin Rouge!” What a freak I am! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/30 "2004-05-05T19:01:49Z")
The Show Must Go On makes me cry **every time**. I love this movie. It’s part of the regular rotation and gets watched at least once every two weeks. Anyone who watched the first ten or fifteen minutes and turned it off (as my parents did) missed all of the good stuff. It calms down a bit and gets much much better. I was confused by the first ten minutes or so (up until Your Song, which you probably missed if you turned it off early.) Also, if you didn’t grow up with the music they sing (late 70s, 80s and 90s) as part of your canon, you probably would hate it. As for the singing, I was _really_ impressed with the great job they did and part of why I love it so much is that they _weren’t_ professionally trained singers. ---
**Author:** ![Jenny\_Haniver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Jenny\_Haniver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenny_Haniver)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/31 "2004-05-05T19:02:51Z")
> [@Only Mostly Dead](#): > > That’s what feels odd about me not liking it the first time. I thought both **Romeo + Juliet** and **Strictly Ballroom** were beautiful. But there was just something too over-the-top about **Moulin Rouge** that first time. Huh. I love **Moulin Rouge** and **Strictly Ballroom**. I’ve only seen **Romeo + Juliet** once, and I hated it. I saw R+J in the store just the other day, and wondered if I should give it another chance. I’ll re-watch mine if you’ll re-watch yours. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/32 "2004-05-05T19:12:25Z")
> [@Jenny Haniver](#): > > I’ll re-watch mine if you’ll re-watch yours. As I said in my first post, it’s certainly on my list. Just not at the top right now. First thing is a film paper on **Husbands and Wives**. And I have **Triplets of Belleville** on tap from Netflix for the weekend. One of my roommates is a big ol’ Boz Hag, so I can always snag his copy of **Moulin Rouge** when I have a couple of free hours. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/33 "2004-05-05T20:08:17Z")
> [@mailman](#): > > By the way, I’d love to give my copy to a doper who truly loves thsi movie. It’s a DVD, only been played once. Seriously? Has someone quietly taken you up on your offer yet? Drop me an email if no one has. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/34 "2004-05-05T20:25:34Z")
I don’t hang around Café Society much, but knew that if I ever saw a thread on _Moulin Rouge_ the polarity of feelings would be pretty much like the views expressed. This is not a movie that leaves many people in the middle of the review spectrum. I didn’t know what to think the first time I saw my niece’s DVD copy. The second time I watched, a few nights later, I was rocked back on my heels in awe. Incredible cinema. Simply a perfect example of what can be accomplished if you view the medium without restraints. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/35 "2004-05-05T20:38:06Z")
::yawn:: I thought people had already gotten tired of the whole “_Moulin Rouge_ sucks!/_Moulin Rouge_ was the best movie ever!” debate, around the time people stopped spelling it “foetid.” P.S. I thought _Moulin Rouge_ was one of the best movies ever. P.P.S. I know tons of people who thought it sucked. To each his own; I stopped caring around the time I’d bought the DVD and the second soundtrack release (just for _Bolero_, and I still don’t understand why that was left off the first soundtrack). ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/36 "2004-05-05T21:13:25Z")
I thought it blew, pretty much. The quintessenential example of “style over substance”. And even then, the style was some kind of Daliesque vomitorium of colors set to Elton _fucking_ John, for bleeding Christ sakes. If you don’t care for anything but garish hues, bad covers of bad pop songs, spastic choreography, and a story line so cliche it would put you to sleep but for the noise, this truly is the film for you. A grand tribute to tackeyness, if ever there was. ---
**Author:** ![luluBahrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e5b9ba/32.png) [@luluBahrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luluBahrain)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/37 "2004-05-05T22:38:21Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > What she said. What he said. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![look\_ninjas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@look\_ninjas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/look_ninjas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/38 "2004-05-05T23:19:13Z")
> [@Exapno Mapcase](#): > > Looks like I’m the only one to have a middle ground opinion. No, you’re not. I mean, I liked it. Visually, it was interesting to look at, and I didn’t hate the story or the acting or the singing. As a movie, I thought it was pretty enjoyable. I just didn’t _love_ it. It was no **Pulp Fiction** , that’s for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/39 "2004-05-05T23:35:14Z")
[Satie] “Frank is Living in my foot!” [/Satie] Best line of the whole damn movie, I tell ya. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658/40 "2004-05-06T00:07:16Z")
> [@pugluvr](#): > > Now, I adore Jim Broadbent, and could watch his opening “Master of Ceremonies” scene over and over again, but I’m afraid the rest of the movie left me cold. About the time Nicole Kidman was writhing around on the bed, we couldn’t take it anymore and turned it off. OK, Nicole Kidman can not do comedy, and she should never be allowed to get anywhere near comedy again. Nicole, I love you dearly, but I agree with **pugluvr** that your “comic” scenes in _Moulin Rouge!_ would have gotten you drummed out of your junior high school drama club. But, Jesus, can you believe the cinematography? Those computerized tracking shots of Paris? The choreography and editing on the Roxanne number? The costumes, the sheer over-the-top operatic bouyancy of the film? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moulin-rouge-is-a-big-foetid-stinking-steaming-pile-of-crap/243658.md?page=3)