Moulin Rouge

The year was 2001 and some movie execs sat in a room and tried to decide if people liked musicals yet.  Well, they decided “Yes!” and we got Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! Set in 1900, we focus on depressed Christian, a struggling writer who falls in love with Satine, a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge during a case of mistaken identity.  Enter the man to whom she was promised, the Duke, who is then convinced by the club owner, Zidler, to fund a play outlining their unfortunate circumstance.  When Satine returns Christian’s feelings, their focus shifts to keeping their love a secret while convincing the Duke that their intimacy and not so subtle banging is really just a rehearsal for the play. In return for the finances, the Duke demands the deed to the Moulin Rouge as collateral, while Satine also seems to be suffering from a recurring issue of fainting, shortness of breath, and bloody mouth which we are sure isn’t a sexually transmitted infection. With the stakes higher than they’ve ever been, they all either fall in love or they don’t…you’ll have to watch. Made for $52M, Moulin Rouge! brought in $180M at the box office and won two academy awards.  But, does it hold up?  Listen in as Jon, Colin, and Brent sing about 1900’s bohemian life and see if all this movie needs is love, or if consumption and the haughty Diamond Dogs are all they get, giving them a mix of heartache and a horrendous case of tuberculosis.