Love Is Hard (A Burlesque Fairytale) (2010)

Love is Hard is part romantic comedy, part burlesque concert film. It's the story of Sophie who is anxious to leave the world of burlesque behind her. She's rushing off to her graduation ceremony, after performing at a Shakespeare themed burlesque matinee. Her path is strikingly interrupted by Valentino, an attractive foreigner, whose first words to her are, 'Will you marry me?' The Shakespearean burlesque continues, touching on themes of love and dreams brought up by the plot. The scene switches between Valentino trying to woo Sophie and some of the top acts of New York City's lively burlesque scene. Blending influences from classical mythology and European literature with New York street smarts, it is a Beauty and the Beast tale for our times.