Loved the movie and traveling with 20 year olds. Would we like seeing the Moulon Rouge during the day? (don't have time to go into a show at night)

I wouldn't make a special trip there unless planning to visit Montmartre as well. It's basically just a theatre, with a replica red windmill, on the busy Place Blanche, a stone's throw away from the seedy XXX shops along Boulevard de Clichy. There are always throngs of people outside taking pics.

That said, if you took the metro to Place Blanche to have a look at the Moulin Rouge, you could then wander up into Montmartre via rue Lepic and onto rue des Abbesses (great cafés, market stalls and cute shops), and then wander to the Sacré Coeur. Of course this part of Paris was made famous by another film, Amélie.

The places mentioned by Hanl were famous LONG before films were even thought of and for the same reason that folks are attracted today I suppose. I agree that the real attraction is probably what used to go on inside and viewing it in passing is probably enough time on the way to other sites.

Of course JonJon is right to stress that these areas have been famous at least since the turn of the century, if not before.
I probably should have said that such films have simply revived interest in the area. I was living around there at the time Amélie and Moulin Rouge came out, and there was a very notable increase in tourist numbers (taking pics of the Café des 3 moulins, the grocery store, and of course the Moulin Rouge, etc.)

hanl, Last February we stayed in Montmartre, and one evening on the way back to our apartment, we took the metro to Place Blanche, took a couple of pictures of the Moulin Rouge, and then headed to our apartment via rue Lepic and onto rue des Abbesses. We would go back in a heartbeat. Picked up our dinner at all the little shops on the way (chicken on spit, cheese, bread, olives, and dessert).

The area is several blocks away from all the XXX stuff. Didn't feel threatened or intimidated by the area at all. It certainly would make a nice afternoon sightseeing day trip for someone going up to the Sacre Coeur and the Montmartre area.

DH and I went to the Moulin Rouge evening show. I piled up major points as a "cool wife" for doing it.

And as a theatre-lover, I really enjoyed the pagentry and the dancing. The bare breasts didn't phase me in the least. If you get a chance, see the show.