The comedy of burlesque is the ultimate tease, which is exactly what the movie “Burlesque” offers. Every element is present and the entertainment is there, but there is a lack of completion in this holiday flick.

Nothing is clearly defined in “Burlesque.” The movie itself avoids any classifications, such as musical, drama or romance (even though it has elements of all of these). Just as you begin to make comparisons to “Chicago” or “Moulin Rouge,” something unique comes out of the wings.

The movie is a combination of two extremely familiar plotlines, ‘girl moves to L.A.’ and ‘last-of-its-kind business comes up against the corporate world.’

But the minute Ali (Christina Aguilera) steps into The Burlesque Lounge, she ushers the audience into a movie unlike any other.

 Tess is the owner of the burlesque club and Ali is the new girl, trying to make it in the big city.

At first Tess is unsure what to do with Ali’s determination, but eventually the always-drunk Nikki, in a shining performance by Kristen Bell, forces Tess to throw Ali into the act.

In an attempt to sabotage Ali, Nikki turns the sound off, forcing her to sing, and the moment the audience has been waiting for arrives — Aguilera sings.

That is the one scene in the movie that you expect — Aguilera’s ability to act might be a surprise, but her voice is always strong.

Confusion runs rampant in this movie, from the use of the pleasantly ambiguous Cher to the wonderfully gay Stanley Tucci as her right hand man.

Even Jack (Cam Gigandet), one of the men that Aguilera has her eye on, slathers on the make-up.

But it is the musical numbers that bring it all together, which makes sense because with Aguilera and Cher as the stars of this film that is what everyone is coming for.

Unfortunately, Cher’s husky voice was only heard twice in the film and there was not a duet between the older star and the younger.

The other complaint is a lack of any real burlesque numbers – there is only one.

Most of the movie revolves around Ali’s transition from waitress to the star of this song and dance show.

On a positive note, the songs are surprisingly strong and Ali’s evolution throughout the film will help you forget that Aguilera’s been doing this her entire life.

There is also the pleasant addition of Eric Dane (McSteamy from Grey’s Anatomy) as the somewhat evil real estate mogul.

The sheer entertainment value of this movie makes it worth seeing and even the straight male I saw it with enjoyed it.

The plot and the music are original and a whole lot of fun. Plus, you can not go wrong with Cher and Tucci.