--- title: "Moulin Rouge!: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge" critics_score: 60 critics_reviews: 7 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Moulin Rouge! (2001): what the critics said Critics' score 60 from 7 reviews: 4 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. The reviews lean positive, but agreement centres more on Baz Luhrmann’s visual ambition than on the success of his musical. Praise clusters around the elaborate fantasy Paris, the energetic musical numbers and the use of familiar pop songs in an unfamiliar setting. Supporters also find romance and feeling beneath the spectacle, with Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor drawing praise for their chemistry, acting and singing. The spread is wide, and the central disagreement is whether all that activity strengthens the love story or prevents it from registering. Film Comment regards Luhrmann’s approach as a successful revival of the musical; The Independent argues that his restless direction undermines the song-and-dance storytelling the genre needs. Other reservations concern exhausting pacing, intrusive visual tricks and a lack of emotional depth. Even some favourable reviews acknowledge that the same extravagance which delights admirers can wear an audience down. ## Film Comment — Kent Jones Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2001. The critic praises Baz Luhrmann for successfully resurrecting the musical genre with outrageously styled visuals, songs spanning pop music history, and a classic impossible-love story set in 1899 Paris. The result is described as a magnificent confection. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/issue/may-june-2001/) ## Radio Times — Andrew Collins Rating 4/5. The critic calls it an opulent, no-holds-barred musical drama and a singular achievement, wrapped in an audacious mix of songs and near-insane visual ambition that viewers will either love or find exhausting. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-b9u4rw/moulin-rouge/) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 18 May 2001. The critic finds the film visually dazzling with its bold use of color and anachronistic pop songs but notes that the narrative feels simultaneously stirring and dispiriting. It praises the emotional excess and heart that explodes in every scene. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/18/movies/film-review-an-eyeful-an-earful-anachronism-lautrec-meets-lady-marmalade.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Rating 2/4. 17 May 2001. The film is seen as a flashy, artificial celebration of pop culture mashups that lacks emotional depth or heart. Its energetic set pieces and musical numbers are praised as exhilarating but ultimately soulless. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/moulin-rouge/) ## IndieWire — IndieWire Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 11 May 2001. Festival review. The critic finds the film an overwhelming sensory overload that fails to connect emotionally. The spectacle is criticized as spasmodic and drowning in its own excess. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/cannes-review-drowning-at-the-moulin-rouge-luhrmanns-spectacle-spasms-80975/) ## The Independent — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 August 2001. The critic argues that Moulin Rouge fails to revive the musical genre, as Luhrmann does not trust the material enough to deliver proper song-and-dance numbers that advance the story. The reviewer singles out the jittery direction and over-reliance on pop song remixes as major flaws. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/why-baz-isn-t-up-to-the-job-9140064.html) ## Empire — Liz Moody 1 January 2000. The review praises the film as a quirky, intoxicating arthouse musical that successfully builds on Luhrmann's previous work with a gaudy, opulent spectacle full of energy and romance. It singles out the real chemistry between Kidman and McGregor and the clever use of revamped pop songs as highlights. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/moulin-rouge-review/) ## Screen Daily 10 May 2001. The critic hails Luhrmann as a visionary who reinvents genres with audacious innovation and expressionism, praising the splendid cast led by a dazzling Kidman and McGregor who excel in both acting and singing. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/luhrmanns-sensory-overload/405696.article) ## Sight and Sound — Jos Arroyo The critic finds the film a stretched trailer that overwhelms with cleverness and postmodern pastiche, turning a simple melodrama into something wearisome despite its visual beauty and ambitious references. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/2000) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 7 September 2001. The critic describes the film as a wildly over-the-top fantasy Paris that is gorgeously and intricately conceived but ultimately too fast and furious, with constant gimmicks, crash zooms, and an excess of anachronistic pop songs that prevent the audience from drawing breath or appreciating the design. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/07/nicolekidman) ## Time Out — GA 10 September 2012. The critic praises the hyperkinetic, luridly stunning post-modern mix of myth, musical and pastiche with enormous gusto and visual ambition, though noting it lacks emotional punch and can drag. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/moulin-rouge-1) ## Eye for Film — Angus Wolfe Murray Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2001. The critic celebrates the film's transportive visual spectacle and operatic emotional intensity in Baz Luhrmann's reimagining of the Moulin Rouge story. They particularly praise the vibrant choreography and the charismatic performances of Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/moulin-rouge-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/moulin-rouge.md