Whoever made the Nine trailer deserves an award, what an amazing teaser! Unfortunately most of the film doesn’t live up to any expectations of Rob Marshall or the plethora of high calibre actors within the film. Adapted from the stage musical of the same name which was based on Fellini’s 8 ½.

Some might argue that Rob Marshall in his previous musical Chicago, actually took something big and made it better. However second time around it doesn’t seem like Nine is really capitalising on its huge potential and previous history.

We meet Guido Contini (Day-Lewis), a once-celebrated Italian director who is suffering from writers block. Without a script, and with a week until production Guido retreats into his mind searching for inspiration. Running from his responsibilities we follow Guido to his hotel hideout as he searches through his many muses, through stories and experiences so that he can get back on his feet. Juggling his personal life with his mistress (Cruz) and wife (Cotillard) impacts upon his semi-professional life with his actress (Kidman) and costume designer confidante (Dench). Apart from his producer it is clear that Guido is surrounded by women, with the pressure of making a film without a script we learn of Guido’s childhood – meeting his mother (Sophia Loren) and meeting Saraghina, the old town prostitute (Stacy Ferguson, yeah, Fergie). Throw in American Vogue journalist Stephanie (Kate Hudson) and you have a flawless cast.

 

Flawless on paper, maybe. Turns out having so many wonderful actors makes for a very packed film and you cannot learn enough about all the characters before you’re taken off to another. It sounds harsh to say this, like complaining that a museum has too many pieces on display. To be fair, Daniel Day-Lewis is rather flawless with the dancing, singing, accent and artistic struggle. Fergie does an amazing job with the biggest, most singable tune, next to the impressive Kate Hudson who has the most entertaining, vibrant song in the entire film. Marion Cotillard (from La Vie En Rose) can do no wrong displaying her versatility as both a singer and an actor, fusing both together to illustrate the many layers of Guido in a way no other actor does. Creating a Fellini-like structure has created an awkward juxtaposition from a black and white childhood, to huge colourful numbers to the stunning depiction of 60s Rome.

So what can really be lacking after such set up? Narrative, really. Whether this is the fault of the original texts or not, there is no momentum in the apparent chaos. There are a few brilliant songs but they don’t really make up for the others. No one does a bad job, expectations may just run a bit high. I believe most audiences would like to know more about the characters and that in itself isn’t a crime but a testimony to it’s positive attributes.

There is a lot to enjoy within Nine, it embraces a risky element of structure and plot development, but the performances solid, and the best songs are a work of art, both in voice and film.