Australia

While watching Australia, my heart broke. The film marks the return of a fun director, Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) after a seven-year absence; it’s also a reunion for him and Nicole Kidman. From the very start of this movie, it’s clear that Luhrmann and his team gave their all in an attempt to come up with the ultimate Outback story—and it’s hard to watch a good director fail. Kidman and co-star Hugh Jackman have great chemistry, but Luhrmann tries to do too much and comes up with something decidedly strange and uneven. Parts of the film are beautiful—but just as many parts grate on the senses.