I so wanted to love "Nine." I really, really did.

I'm a fan of musicals and wish there were more movie musicals.
I love the cast here — come on, Daniel Day-Lewis and Penelope Cruz and Judi Dench and Marion Cottilard and Nicole Kidman and Fergie and Sophia Loren!

I read all those reviews dissing it, but I ignored them. The critics must have been cranky, I thought.

But it's true. "Nine" is a disappointment.

"Nine" was directed by Rob Marshall, who also headed up the Oscar-winning "Chicago." Perhaps I'm one of the few, but I wasn't a big fan of the movie adaptation of "Chicago"; it simply wasn't as sharp or fun as the stage version, which I adored.

With "Nine," the source material isn't as strong as "Chicago's." The songs and the premise feel dated in ways that "Chicago" didn't. The lyrics clunk along, and the music tends to fade immediately from the listener's memory. The notion of a philandering filmmaker as tortured artist seems so ... 1960s. (The musical, which hit Broadway in 1982, is inspired by Federico Fellini's classic movie, 1963's "8-1/2.")

Daniel Day-Lewis never really finds his groove as Guido Contini, the Italian director based on Fellini. His accent sounds (as do most of the other actors' accents here) of indeterminate origin. This is a movie about Italy and Italian film, and yet, the leads are from a United Nations compendium of countries ... almost none are from Italy. Go figure.

Spanish Penelope Cruz seems to be having a blast playing the mistress, who's equal parts sexpot and emotional wreck.

French Marion Cotillard provides the heart, giving a deeply felt turn as Guido's wife, who loves her husband even as she acknowledges and is wounded by his faults.

Brit Judi Dench does what you'd expect her to do as Guido's costumer and confidante.

Aussie Nicole Kidman frostily floats through as his muse.

American Fergie gets to show off a powerhouse voice she rarely gets to let rip in the Black Eyed Peas; she's the true showstopper here as a prostitute that Guido meets when he's young.

As Guido's mama, Italian (finally, an Italian!) Sophia Loren is possibly the least natural singer in a movie musical since Pierce Brosnan in "Mamma Mia."

What did you think of "Nine"?