12 Great Soundtracks In Otherwise Terrible Movies

Burlesque features Christina Aguilera, Kirsten Bell, Stanley Tucci and the Goddess of pop Cher. Where did it go so wrong?

This was a movie with great potential which should have been better than it was. The cabaret costumes are divine, the old-fashioned burlesque house is a marvel to look at, and director Steve Antin knows to let Christina have as much fun as she wants performing all her solo songs.

Even with Aguilera’s musical talents, it’s still Cher who effortlessly steals the limelight with “Welcome to Burlesque”.

But outside of the songs and visual beauty, the film’s offerings are hardly worth your attention. The storyline is strung together by a band of platitudinousness.

A small-town girl moves to the big city and bags both the man she wants and her dream job in such a short time without really overcoming any major obstacles to get there. Meanwhile, Tess gets to keep her failing club for the sake of a happy ending.

The film’s lead character, Ali, is hard to root for. She’s conceited, entitled and rude to everyone around her. Meanwhile, Tess is plenty of fun but she’s a terrible business owner, who doesn’t listen to the advice of others because of her own pride.

And whilst the songs and choreography are good, it doesn’t hide how they’re a blatant copycat of greater films that came years before – namely musicals like Chicago, Fame and anything by Bob Fosse.

Burlesque is fine if you're after a simple viewing but you'll have to search deeper if you want a decent movie.