With its James Michener-esque title promising a hearty helping of history served on a hot plate of melodrama (or is the other way around?), Luhrmann’s ambitious romantic epic certainly reaches, even if it ultimately falls short. The most amazing thing about the film is how nicely it recovers from a dreadful opening half hour that seems to be Luhrmann’s attempt to exorcise his most egregious excesses of clunky comedy and visual overload before settling down into the classic epic aesthetic the material so firmly demands. (Hollywood Jewel 16, Waco, TX)