Cher’s Worst Film Is An Unforgettable Disaster And It’s Now A Streaming Hit
Burlesque, starring Cher and Christina Aguilera, is currently streaming in the top 10 in the U.S.
Cher is one of the most talented performers ever to hit both the stage and the silver screen, but even the best artists have experienced a flop or two. That was the way it went for 2010’s Burlesque, a film that was so bad it completely wasted its talented cast. But now, there is hope on the horizon, as it seems that Burlesque may have become a cult classic since FlixPatrol data shows this musical drama is in the top 10 on the streaming charts in the United States.
Burlesque is the story of two women trying to keep a dying burlesque lounge away from greedy businessmen who want to buy the property. Tess (Cher) is the owner of the lounge, and Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a young and talented waitress with a big voice and a dream of being on stage. When Ali’s nemesis, Nikki (Kristen Bell), sabotages her performance, Ali impresses everyone by singing the song herself and becoming the main attraction of the lounge.
The film stars Cher in her first-ever on-screen musical role (despite being one of the most well-known musical artists of all time) and Christina Aguilera in the singer’s first-ever leading role. The additional cast includes an all-star collection of actors, including Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, and Peter Gallagher. Additionally, Dianna Agron and James Brolin make cameos in the movie.
Burlesque was a highly anticipated film, largely due to the star-studded cast. It was released the day before Thanksgiving in 2010 and competed against Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Disney’s Tangled. Despite having major competition to deal with, Burlesque and its stars, Cher and Christina, still came in third on its opening day.
However, after two weeks of being in theaters, word of mouth had gotten around, and Burlesque dropped to sixth place, and by Christmas, it was floating around 15th. Despite not being a well-loved movie, Burlesque wasn’t a total financial failure. In fact, the film made back every cent of its $55 million budget and profited a total of $78 million after being released worldwide and including DVD sales.
Nevertheless, the film’s profits didn’t stop critics from slamming the movie as being a clichéd and campy way of wasting wonderful talent. The overall consensus was that Cher was obviously fantastic, as was Stanley Tucci (as always), and that Christina’s singing and dance moves were way more than enough to make up for the singer’s lack of acting talent. However, even all the talent in the show combined was not enough to make up for the cheesy dialog and a plot that wanted so badly to be Cabaret but just couldn’t make the cut.
The musical drama was written and directed by Steve Antin, who is best known for playing the on-screen bad boy character of Troy in the Goonies. While Burlesque is the only feature film Antin is known for directing, he also wrote the script for the equally terrible film Proud Mary, which also had critics praising the cast but hating on the script.
Although the critics still hate it, Burlesque has gone on to become a niched cult classic, inspiring drag queens, a theatrical stage production, and tons of pop culture references. Overall, if you’re a fan of well-written movies, maybe skip the watch. But, if you’re a fan of Christina Aguilera, Cher, or dialog so bad it’s good, consider putting on Burlesque for your next movie night.
