Musicals don’t usually do it for me.  I often find myself glancing at my watch around the 45-minute mark, just as the second act is getting rolling.  But from the minute Nine began, I was glued to the screen, anticipating the next scene.

My wonder was largely due to the fact that I knew nothing about the film walking into it.  Nine, like most films, is best experienced blindly.  You needn’t know the premise; you just need know that it’s a musical that blends the magic of classic romantic cinema with the editing style and modern cinematography techniques of contemporary film - and does it with such pizazz that the audience can’t turn their head for a moment.

The film is so proficiently made that it’s impossible to say who the “star” is...  Its book is as tight as its direction, the costumes as brilliant as its production design, the sound editing as meticulous as the dance choreography, every actor in the ensemble as fabulous as the next.  This kind of attention to detail is the stuff the “Best Picture” title is made to tip hat to - and will hopefully sweep the awards ceremonies this year.

Dion Beebe’s cinematography blends heavily lit, grainy black and white images reminiscent of french film of the 60s with the sleek, glittery fashion of modern pop culture.  Kate Hudson’s musical number has the style of both The Seventh Seal and Sex and the City simultaneously, quick choppy edits melding black and white with color with a tempo as flashy as the music itself.

Unlike Evita and other musicals before it, not once is a viewer distracted by reminders that the vocals were recorded during post production.  And as the film weaves between the dream world of music and the real world of confused despair, the costumes and production design lead the senses without missing a beat.  The dancers within these world, meanwhile, also don’t miss a step.

Daniel Day Lewis proves yet again that he is one of the greatest actors living today, slipping into the mind and skin of Guido Contini with ease and precision.  The cast of sultry women that surround him are enough to make even a gay man re-consider.  Actresses such as Penelope Cruz and Kate Hudson with little training on the stage clearly devoted months to voice and dance training - and turn in some of the best performances of their careers.  And legends like Judy Dench and Marion Cotillard fill their roles with the poise and grace one would expect of such veterans.

Don’t miss it!  Musicals are rare in the world of modern cinema.  Musicals that are this well made come along only a handful of times in a lifetime.