# Burlesque (2010 American film)
*Burlesque* is a 2010 American musical drama directed by Steven Antin in his feature writing and directing debut, starring pop singer [Christina Aguilera](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-aguilera) in her first film role as Ali, a small-town singer who joins a Los Angeles burlesque club run by Cher's character Tess.[1](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/burlesque) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/burlesque/5020597.article) Produced by De Line Pictures and [Screen Gems](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-gems) and distributed by [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures), it opened wide in the United States on November 24, 2010.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | Wide domestic release November 24, 2010 by Sony Pictures; video release March 1, 2011 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) |
| Director | Steven Antin, first feature as writer-director; he had previously made music videos for the Pussycat Dolls[2](https://www.screendaily.com/burlesque/5020597.article) • [4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/) |
| Stars | Christina Aguilera as Ali (feature debut), Cher as Tess, Stanley Tucci as Sean, Kristen Bell as Nikki, Cam Gigandet as Jack, Eric Dane as Markus[5](https://www.mitty.com/assets/files/monarch/Monarch_2010_20_2.pdf) • [4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/) |
| Box office | $39,440,655 domestic, $51,112,020 international, $90,552,675 worldwide against a $55,000,000 production budget[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) |
| Format | 116 minutes, rated PG-13 for sexual content including several suggestive dance routines, partial nudity, language and some thematic material[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) |
| Music | Score by Christophe Beck; Sia Furler among the songwriters; Diane Warren's "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me" won the 2011 Golden Globe[2](https://www.screendaily.com/burlesque/5020597.article) • [3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) • [6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/diane-warren-interview-aerosmith-starship-2011) |
| Afterlife | Adapted into a stage musical with a book by Antin and songs by Aguilera and Sia, staged at the Savoy Theatre in London[7](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/burlesque-the-m-savoy-theatre-24605.pdf) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Ali Rose, a small-town singer with no family and few prospects, leaves her Iowa trailer park for Los Angeles and takes a job as a waitress at the Burlesque Lounge, a club on the [Sunset Strip](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunset-strip) managed by the world-weary Tess, with Tess's longtime stage manager Sean ([Stanley Tucci](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-tucci)) alongside her.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/) • [8](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/nov/25/burlesque-film-review) [Alan Cumming](https://www.edgepedia.org/alan-cumming) plays the doorman.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/nov/25/burlesque-film-review) Ali moves from waitressing onto the stage, befriends one dancer and rivals another (Kristen Bell's Nikki), and her rise helps the ailing club resist a buyout offer from a property developer.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) • [8](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/nov/25/burlesque-film-review) Cam Gigandet plays Jack, Ali's roommate and love interest, and Eric Dane plays businessman Markus.[5](https://www.mitty.com/assets/files/monarch/Monarch_2010_20_2.pdf)
## Production and music
The film was shot as a live-action contemporary musical from an original screenplay, with a score by Christophe Beck and songs written with input from Sia Furler.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/burlesque/5020597.article) Steven Antin came to the project from music videos, including work for the neo-burlesque troupe the Pussycat Dolls, and the production numbers were staged to showcase Aguilera's voice alongside Cher's.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/) Diane Warren wrote "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me", the ballad Cher sings in the film, which won the 2011 Golden Globe for Best Original Song.[6](https://www.loudersound.com/features/diane-warren-interview-aerosmith-starship-2011) Reviewers noted that Cher and Aguilera never sing a duet in the film.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/)
## Box office
*Burlesque* opened on November 24, 2010 in 3,037 theaters, grossing $11,947,744 over its first weekend, 30.3 percent of its eventual domestic total.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) It finished with $39,440,655 domestically and $51,112,020 internationally, a worldwide total of $90,552,675, about 1.6 times its $55,000,000 production budget.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque) [Home video](https://www.edgepedia.org/home-video) added an estimated $32,000,535 in DVD sales and $6,057,596 in Blu-ray sales after the March 1, 2011 video release.[3](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque)
## Reception
Critics were largely unimpressed with the story while praising the musical numbers. The Guardian's review called the film too competent to be a guilty pleasure and too ropey to recommend, finding Aguilera's acting lacking next to Cher's.[8](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/nov/25/burlesque-film-review) The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday described an uneven but infectiously cheery film built around Aguilera's debut, with Cher delivering its most poignant and funny moments in banter with Tucci.[4](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/) The Los Angeles Times likened the film to a music-video theme party built around Aguilera's song-and-dance showcase.[9](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-24-la-et-burlesque-20101124-story.html) Roger Ebert enjoyed the big song numbers on a music-video level while finding little else to praise.[10](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/burlesque-2010)
In retrospective commentary on the Golden Globes, The Daily Beast cited the film's Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination as an example of the awards show's less predictable picks.[11](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/boring-golden-globes-need-to-go-back-to-being-a-drunken-mess/) • [12](https://goldenglobes.com/film/burlesque/)
## Stage musical
A stage adaptation, *Burlesque: The Musical*, was developed with a book by Steven Antin based on his screenplay, songs from the film by Aguilera and Sia, and new music by [Jess Folley](https://www.edgepedia.org/jess-folley) and [Todrick Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/todrick-hall).[7](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/burlesque-the-m-savoy-theatre-24605.pdf) It was staged at the Savoy Theatre in London.[7](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/burlesque-the-m-savoy-theatre-24605.pdf)
## References
1. [BURLESQUE, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/burlesque)
2. [Burlesque, Screen review by Tim Grierson](https://www.screendaily.com/burlesque/5020597.article)
3. [Burlesque (2010), Box Office and Financial Information, The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Burlesque)
4. [Ever the showstopper, The Washington Post, November 24, 2010](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/style/2010/11/24/ever-the-showstopper/6dea4760-f76d-11df-9d58-bd7b81952065/)
5. [Monarch school paper review of Burlesque (2010)](https://www.mitty.com/assets/files/monarch/Monarch_2010_20_2.pdf)
6. [The epic career of Diane Warren, LouderSound](https://www.loudersound.com/features/diane-warren-interview-aerosmith-starship-2011)
7. [Burlesque the musical, British Theatre Guide](https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/burlesque-the-m-savoy-theatre-24605.pdf)
8. [Burlesque, review, The Guardian, November 25, 2010](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2010/nov/25/burlesque-film-review)
9. [Movie review: 'Burlesque', Los Angeles Times, November 24, 2010](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-nov-24-la-et-burlesque-20101124-story.html)
10. [Keep it on! Keep it all on!, RogerEbert.com](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/burlesque-2010)
11. [Get the Celebrities Drunk and Make the Golden Globes Fun Again, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/boring-golden-globes-need-to-go-back-to-being-a-drunken-mess/)
12. [Burlesque - Golden Globes](https://goldenglobes.com/film/burlesque/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Musical and music films (individual works) › Musical films of the 2010s and 2020s › Released 2010 to 2020*
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