Layers of material swish through the air in a vibrant dance of color as the can-can girls of “Moulin Rouge” seductively sashay across the stage, alluring men of the richest and most penniless classes of Paris in director Baz Luhrmann’s latest cinematic creation.

The film focuses on the infamous Moulin Rouge nightclub of the early 1900s, where indulgence in glamour and sexual fantasy ruled.

Moulin Rouge strays far from historical accuracy as a courtesan and a poor English writer fall in love despite the different paths their lives have taken to lead them to the legendary red windmill.

Nicole Kidman plays Satine, the Sparkling Diamond, Moulin Rouge’s star and the city’s most famous courtesan.

Ewan McGregor appears opposite Kidman as Christian, the destitute writer desperately in search of love. John Leguizamo stars as Toulouse Lautrec, who fuels the relationship between Satine and Christian, and Jim Braodbent portrays Zidler, Moulin Rouge’s impresario.

Kidman’s portrayal of Satine is at first over-the-top, which allows the audience to settle into the extravagance of what was Moulin Rouge.

As the film progresses, her character deepens, but always seems to lack the full emotional spectrum Satine’s journey through life would require.

She is presumed to be from a background of nothing, with Zidler transforming her into the “Material Girl” she has become.

Kidman never allows her character the chance to exhibit the emotions or knowledge one would gain after the experience of such a transition of lifestyles.

McGregor’s Christian, however, fully develops as he longs for his first taste of love and throughout his heightened romance with the beautiful courtesan, McGregor and Kidman never seem to emotionally connect.

McGregor has the audience believing he will live and die for every stolen second he shares with Satine, while Kidman never quite convinces the audience that her affections for her lover are as powerful as her words profess them to be.

Kidman and McGregor make their film singing debuts in a completely unoriginal score set to the lyrics of popular 20th century music.

The absurdity of the characters singing such songs as “Like A Virgin,” “All You Need Is Love,” and “I Will Always Love You” harshly rips the audience from the story Luhrmann is trying to tell.

By infusing a gorgeous, although unrealistic setting with the quite varied musical stylings of David Bowie, Nirvana and Rogers and Hammerstein, to name a few, the film is made into a mockery of what it set out to do, which was to tell a story about truth, beauty, freedom, and above all, love.

The infamy surrounding the Moulin Rouge produced elaborate sets, especially those of the actual nightclub.

The lush decor of the set combined with the sheen of the fabrics used on the costuming combined to form a spectacle of color and life.

Luhrmann further drifted from historical relevance by costuming his characters in styles similar to 1940sand 50s Hollywood, which did add to the glamour he wanted to associate with Moulin Rouge.

The dizzying camera angles and movements Luhrmann has become known for further add to the chaos that the film ultimately becomes.

Flashy and seductive Moulin Rouge may be, but a captivating film it is not. The buttered popcorn generated more interest than the story unfolding on the screen.