When the movie starts in a dressing room you'd be excused for briefly mistaking it for documentary. However, instead of passé reaction shots and jerky camera angles, the hotel scenes and those set backstage with the New Burlesque girls offer genuine warmth and a real intimacy. Similarly, the shows themselves - filmed on a real tour in front of a live audience - crackle with energy and fizz. Clips of Kitten On The Keys's music numbers, Julie Atlas Muz's severed hand routine and Dirty Martini's has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed bubble strip are all stunning standouts.
As a sequence of vignettes it works beautifully, but where the movie falls down is in its narrative. Joachim's interaction with his kids and the burlesque girls is wonderful, his sizzling meeting with a petrol station employee lingers in the mind, and when the girls talk among themselves there's a real tenderness to their exchanges. But with so many threads running parallel, by the time you reach the end you're frustrated that they aren't better weaved together. Still, the performances are great, and - like an oriental fan dance - it's never dull for a second.
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