Nine

Nine is a 2009 romantic musical drama film directed and co-produced by Rob Marshall from a screenplay by Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella, based on the stage musical of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1963 film 8½. In addition to songs from the stage musical, all written by Maury Yeston, the film has three original songs, also written by Yeston. The ensemble cast consists of Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, and Sophia Loren. Nine premiered at the Dubai International Film Festival on December 9, 2009, and had a limited release in New York City and Los Angeles on December 18, with a wide release in the United States on December 25, by The Weinstein Company. Though the film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box-office bomb, the cast and especially Marion Cotillard's performance was praised. Nine was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress (Penélope Cruz), Best Art Direction (John Myhre and Gordon Sim), Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood), and Best Original Song ("Take It All"). Plot In 1965, Guido Contini is a gifted Italian filmmaker at the famous Cinecittà movie studios in Rome. Having turned fifty and developed writer's block, he conjures all the women in his life, both alive and deceased, for inspiration, including: Luisa (née Acari), his wife; Claudia Jenssen, his star actress; Carla Albanese, his mistress; Liliane "Lilli" La Fleur, his costume designer and confidant; Stephanie Necrophorus, an American fashion journalist from Vogue; Saraghina, a prostitute from his childhood; and his beloved Mamma ("Overture Delle Donne"). Having not yet formulated an idea for his new movie, Guido evades questions from reporters. In his mind, he wishes for both youthful naiveté and the wisdom of age ("Guido's Song"). Escaping to the Bellavista Spa Hotel on the coast, he receives a seductive call from Carla while a doctor examines him ("A Call from the Vatican"). She comes to stay with him, but he hides her in a shabby pensione instead.