De-Lovely

Nice to take a break from the action and war films that have been far too present in the last month.
De-Lovely is a musical, a proper musical film. You may ask what one of those is? There are two types of musicals, there are musicals like 'The Sound of Music' which have a story but are mostly known for their singing and in some ways you could say that the plot was written around the songs or they are the films that are done entirely through song and mostly end up being put on stage and becoming a hit in the west end or on Broadway. Then there are films like this that have a solid plot and have songs that accompany it. Films that are about music in one way or another, that could be a solid film without the singing that aren't dependent on the star or the dancing and are unlikely to be made in to a stage production.

Jonathan Pryce and Kevin Kline were an unbelievable combination. This film and their characters in particular highlight the difference between an actor who can sing and a singer who can act as well. So much of the film is spent with actors struggling with the songs and requesting that singers sing the song or the directors making the same request. Ashley Judd was superb alongside Kevin Kline. She has a great voice, in fact, she is a great all round performer and someone that I had never heard of before.

As the characters get older the show makes its way to production and allows an insight in to some of the most emotional moments such as when the pianist injures himself, has to have surgery on his legs and can no longer reach the pedals, meaning that he cannot continue being a professional pianist. I wanted to cry as much as she was crying when she heard him trying to reach the pedals.

Performances from stars such as Elvis Costello, Robbie Williams, Natalie Cole, Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall and Alanis Morissette gives a slight 'Blues Brothers' feel with all the famous guest stars performing but in the world of Jazz it was lovely and added something to make this film special.

This film is special, it requires a nice evening and a bottle of wine with some friends who appreciate Jazz.