Major thumbs up to Marion Catillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, and Kate Hudson. Although these ladies all had great performances, the story line felt disconnected and lagged during the middle of the movie. Daniel Day-Lewis' singing was weird and and drawn out, although I liked his acting. I thought Nicole Kidman did a poor job in the movie. It was basically a cameo and her performance bored me. I had such high hopes for this movie. I wouldn't recommend this to a friend because if I was bored (and I am a huge musical fan) then they would surely be bored.