Burlesque

I was a mere teen and a big fan of Christina Aguilera when she first came out during the late 90s pop era. Unlike other pop artists of the time, Aguilera quickly established her distinction: taking her time between albums, changing her persona, and not immediately starring in a film. The high-budget musical “Burlesque” provides her with a decent breakthrough role, showcasing her dynamic vocals and acting capabilities. Though some of the numbers are very good, the film’s high amount of objectionable content makes it unsuitable for Christian viewers.

Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town Iowa gal who heads to L.A. with the hopes of becoming a singer/dancer. After some failed auditions, she sees the Burlesque Lounge and curiously enters. Upon entering, she’s immediately smitten with the alluring atmosphere of burlesque performances. She befriends the bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet) who then refers her to Tess (Cher), the lounge’s co-owner. Tess immediately shoots down Ali’s dreams, since she’s too busy wondering how to keep her club from facing foreclosure. Not so easy to give up, Ali takes a job in the club’s lounge as a cocktail waitress, quietly learning all the routines and patiently waiting for her chance.

Ali’s opportunity finally comes when Tess has her replace a lead burlesque dancer. Her excitement is cut short, however, when the rejected dancer angrily turns off the pre-recorded music, leaving Ali with no vocals or music. Thinking quickly, she begins to sing live, restoring the lounge’s dignity. Tess immediately sees Ali as the lounge’s newest attraction and, also, as the possible solution to the lounge’s plummeting financial problems.

With Christina Aguilera and Cher’s vocals, the movie has several high-powered musical performances. Though high on the musical end, “Burlesque” harbors a clichéd plot, using the generic rags-to-riches story with the included love interest. The story rushes along, leaving the characters more on the two-dimensional side. Not much is known of Ali’s background, and the supporting characters, played by Julianne Hough and Kristen Bell are underused.

Like many of his films, Stanley Tucci delivers yet another solid performance as Tess’ loyal, anecdotal friend. He and Cher share the best scenes and dialogue. On a positive note, the film’s resolution to the lounge’s financial woes is unique, and the overused venture of some dynamic performance magically raising all the needed money is sensibly absent.

Objectionable Content

The profanity’s around the 40 mark (4 GD, 1 “f’ word, 16 as*, 7 sh*t, etc.). The terms “slut” and “pr*ck” and are, also, used. God and Jesus’ names are profaned around 10 times.

Burlesque performances are often filled with revealing costumes, and this film’s no exception. The majority of tops (on and off stage) have very, very low-cut cleavage. The burlesque outfits consist of corsets, lingerie, sheer garments, bras, garters, and thongs. One garment is made entirely of just pearls. The camera often zooms in on different body parts as the performers dance or make anatomical references.

Several of the dance sequences and lyrics are sexually suggestive, while others are clean and powerful. The most suggestive dance is with a man and two women. One woman does the splits near his face, as he carries her. He then places a banana near his crotch, as one of the female dancers bends down and bites off a piece. During one of Ali’s dances, she has different parts of her costume yanked off until she’s completely nude. The camera lingers on her back and daringly films as she quickly turns around. Her body is then shown barely being covered by stage lights.

While the film’s three kissing scenes are rather sweet, the lead actors do sleep together. Jack and Ali are shown lying together with only bed sheets covering them. After their first sexual encounter, Ali states that Jack is “definitely not gay.” In an earlier scene, Jack strips down and walks around naked in front of Ali. As he walks around, the camera lingers on his backside. When he stands still, his groin is barely covered by a lamp and then by a small cookie box. During a wedding, two gay men give each other flirtatious stares, and it’s then implied that they have a one-night stand. One is shown waking up in the bed, while the other is in a robe. The morning after, they both admit to not remembering each others' names, but one comments on how the other definitely enjoyed their night together.

In all fairness, the movie’s title gives a clear warning of its content; the burlesque sequences are the film’s main theme. Christians should use holy discernment on what we set before our eyes. Matthew wrote that the eyes are “the lamp of the body” (6:22). With this mind, I do not recommend this film.

Violence: Minor / Profanity: Heavy / Sex/Nudity: Heavy

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