Baz Luhrmann got away with his cheeky, post-modern version of "Romeo + Juliet" because Shakespeare's immortal love story provided its dramatic spine. [...] in "Moulin Rouge" all he has is a confection of old Hollywood musicals and Technicolor melodramas. The disappointing opening night film for the 54th Cannes International Film Festival presents an onslaught of images -- like a Busby Berkeley musical for the MTV age -- that turns singers, dancers, costumes and sets into mere objects in overripe colors that swirl before Donald McAlpine's always prowling camera.

Subscribe to the Hollywood Reporter and see the entertainment industry from its best angle: the inside looking out. Complete access to real-time news and exclusive analysis that goes behind the scenes from film to television, home video to digital media.

   Subscribe now.