Why does everyone hate NINE?

I've seen it twice, so far.

Yes, Guido Contini is a self-obsessed asshole, and he doesn't deserve happiness. He pretty much abuses everyone who enters into his toxic orbit. But he's a child, lost in an adult world, and he needs to find is way home again. That's it - nothing more, nothing less. And it's a musical. Not the Koran.

I wasn't a huge fan of the universally adored CHICAGO. I didn't hate it, I just didn't love it. I felt there was nobody I liked in it. It would be very easy to label NINE the same way, but NINE has a heart. Granted, that heart is shattered into bits and stomped on throughout the movie. But it's still there, softly beating.

Guido as a nine-year old child is the unifying force of the movie, and this kid (Giuseppi Spitaleri) is magnificent - breezy, natural, naughty and cute as a button. And knowing this child - he appears through the movie in flashbacks, we can excuse the older Guido (Daniel Day-Lewis in a winning 'mannered' performance) because he's still that child. The movie isn't so much a narrative plot-driven movie as a series of solo songs by famous actresses, well staged. There's very little else going on.

However, each and every song is GREAT! And the very best thing about this flick, is that during each of the solo songs, the movie cuts out of the song many times to a parallel narative about that girl and how she got mixed up with Guido in the first place. It's a great device, and stops the 'solo thing' from being visually tedious. Marion Cotillard's soulful song "My Husband Makes Movies" is the best thing in it - Judi Dench camps it up very well in Franglais with "Follies Berger" - Penelope Cruz sparkles throughout, better than any Almodovar movie she's been in - and the surprise is Kate Hudson, who finally shows that she has Goldie's blood in her and delivers gold! Sophia Loren looks alternately graceful and beautiful, though there are times she looks like drugged out 100 year-old leather-queen at the Eagle.

Italy (and especially Rome) in the 60's is well recreated and the scenery and the people are gorgeous. What's not to like?