History Film / Burlesque

* AlliterativeAppeal: “Wagon Wheel Watusi.”

The Burlesque Lounge has its best days behind it, and club owner Tess is struggling to keep the place afloat. Meanwhile, new waitress Ali is a small town girl who's just moved to L.A. to fufill her dreams of becoming a star. The last thing Tess needs is a pushy upstart with no technical experience at dance making a fuss, and the last thing Ali needs is a hard-ass boss who dismisses her out of hand. Luckily both are very determined at getting what they want...

--> '''Tess''': There will be no fade out. This is not the end. I'm down now but I'll be standing tall again! Times are hard but, I was built tough...I'm gonna show you all what I'm made of!

* {{Burlesque}}: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Obviously.]]

* [[ChekhovsGun Chekhov's Gun]]: Air rights.

* AndNowForSomethingCompletelyDifferent: In a movie about Burlesque songs and dance numbers, Cher's AwardBaitSong, sung alone on stage with no choreography whatsoever, feels incredibly out of place.
** Which may have been the intention. The idea could have been to contrast the glossy choreographed acts that happen in a full house, to her singing with no costume or make-up, on the stage after everyone's gone (with the plot excuse being that she needs to practice it before it's performed). Or not. It's difficult to figure out what is done intentionally and what isn't in this movie.

A 2010 musical film written and directed by Steven Antin, starring Music/{{Cher}} and Music/ChristinaAguilera.

* RealityEnsues: At first, Ali moves to Los Angeles and it seems like a promising career move... until she gets robbed the couple nights over, prompting her to stay over at Jack's place.

* VomitDiscretionShot: Tess finds one of the dancers in the bathroom stall throwing up. She tells her, "Please don't tell me you have the flu." The dancer gives Tess a meaningful look, after which Tess says, "Please tell me you have the flu."

* NoBisexuals: Sean is gay but that doesn't stop him exchanging in pseudo-flirtatious talk with Tess, and the two sharing a dance together on the dance floor. As they discuss which teams he bats for, nobody considers "the purple team" and bisexuality is nonexistence In-Universe.

* DeadpanSnarker: Most of the cast at least want to be, but the standouts are StanleyTucci as Sean and Creator/AlanCumming as Alexis.

** Patron Tequila product placement in several scenes. The brand also featured in classic Film/DirtyLove (2005), starring Jenny McCarthy and Carmen Electra.

* MistakenForGay: Ali thought Jack was gay at first. Becomes a BrickJoke.

* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: At the start of the film, Ali quits her job after her boss refuses to pay her the appropriate amount of money for her and her coworker's hard work on their waitessing job (he still hasn't paid her for last month as well).

** When Tess sarcastically asks her ex husband if he also told Marcus she gas a tattoo on her ass, this is actually a reference to her infamous visible tattoo shown in her see-through outfit she sported in her music video "If I Could Turn Back Time".

* SlutShaming: Sean calls Nikki "slut" behind her back, due to reputation. She hears him and calls him out on it and ge tells her he thought she was out if the building when ge said it.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: When Ali auditions for Tess, [[spoiler:even though Tess admits that they have access to far better dancers, Ali puts all her heart into dancing and is clearly loving being on stage despite her lack of technique]]. She works hard and her dancing noticeably improves as well.
* TrueCompanions: Subverted with the people from the club...at first. Jack claims that everyone looks out for each other, but Ali is quick to contradict him. However, he is actually right, as is proven over the course of the movie. Tess is fiercely loyal to her employees and will take care of them no matter what, [[spoiler:even letting Nicki back in after she really deserved to be kicked to the curb with a very sharp-toed boot]], and despite the squabbling backstage, once you're in, you ''are'' basically family with all the bad and the good that that entails [[spoiler:at one point one of the girls gets married and the rest of the girls are her bridesmaids]]. Learning to become part of this extended family is part of Ali's character arc.

* Ambiguously Bi: Ali, considering her reaction to the burlesque dance numbers and the tension between her and her rival Nikki.

* UnresolvedSexualTension: Ali and Jack ''so'' much. It turns into BelligerentSexualTension when Ali starts to spend time with Marcus, cautiously warming up to him.

* ProductPlacement: Famous Amos, rather [[HandorObjectUnderwear prominently]] in one scene.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: Jack's big re-discovery of composition, the music he has been working on and so afraid to show everyone is...a new dance-style Burlesque introduction number that is mostly just spoken-word repetition and percussion which has no purpose aside from showing off the Burlesque girls with a new expensive stage? Riiiiight. Well, now we know ''why'' he thought his career as a composer was a dead end.

* RealityEnsues: At first, Ali moves to Los Angeles and it seems like a promising career move...until she gets robbed the couple nights over, prompting her to stay over at Jack's place.

* ThirdActMisunderstanding: Even though they broke up before the obligatory sex scene, Ali breaks up with Jack because she believes he was still in love with Natalie. And wouldn't you know it, they get back together.