Sensational in Every Way This film was obviously heavily influenced by the Liza Minelli Cabaret, but it goes it many steps better: the screenplay (Bill Condon) is more muscular and imaginative, the editing is stunning, and there is no one on this planet like Catherine Zeta Jones. To be that beautiful and talented, well it's just unfair but you can only gaze in wonder and appreciation. Gere, too, seems completely in his element (He can really sing!) and even though I kept thinking to myself, "Who else could have played this role?" while watching Rene Zellwegger, she has a lovely voice and was still more than serviceable as a dancer. (Too bad they had to put her in that Marilyn Monroe garb, however; the comparison is unfair.)
It's hard with a musical to know just who to give credit to, but given that Rob Marshall both directed and choreographed it I think we can start right there. Bob Fosse's shoes are big ones to try to fill, but the dancing is brilliant, and the direction fluid and kinetic at the same time. Yes, I've heard comments that the editing was too jagged, you couldn't look at the dancers for long enough, etc. To some extent this is true, but let's remember they were directing this film to a public that has just come off the almost epilepsy-inducing short cuts of Moulin Rouge. This editing in this film is much more judicious, in my opinion. The only place where I could have used longer dance shots were with Zeta Jones, who is so clearly a great dancer I would have enjoyed seeing what she can do, unassisted.