Rating: 
Summary: Ersatz
Review: Ersatz"Captain Kirk, the approaching probe will destroy Earth if we do not respond with 'whale sound!'" "O.K., send it some." "Without a real whale, the sounds will be real but it will just be gibberish." "Well people watched 'Chicago'; what make you think the probe is any more discerning?" It is possible that the play may have had some redeeming social value. However by the time it was hacked up for this movie the only thing of value is the fast forward button. And again just because the movie has the appearance of a play does not give it any virtue.
Rating: 
Summary: A Razzly Dazzly Good Time
Review: "Chicago" revolves around a woman named Roxie Hart (Renee Zellweger), who kills her ex-boyfriend for lying about getting her into a vaudeville act. She is sent to jail, where she meets her idol, Velma Kelly (Catherine Zeta-Jones). She also meets the prison matron (Queen Latifah), who tells her about a slick lawyer named Billy Flynn (Richard Gere). Roxie's ex-husband Amos (John C. Reily) gets Billy for her, but Velma has the same lawyer. Roxie and Velma are head to head, guided by Billy as they razzle-dazzle the press and pull the strings of reporter Mary Sunshine. The screenplay (written by Bill Condon) is amazingly true to the original musical and the director (Rob Marshall) does an outstanding job with the musical numbers and is very good making the musical numbers more appealing for this days' audiences. The editing in this film is outstanding! All of the musical numbers take place in the imagination of Roxie Hart. During a musical number, there are two worlds: Roxie's imagination and the real world, which ties in perfectly with the theme of the film (and stageshow) which is that in Chicago, murder is all a show. The DVD Special Features include the deleted musical number "Class" performed by Queen Latifah and Catherine Zeta-Jones, a 30 minute behind the scenes special, and an interesting commentary by the screenwriter and director. All in all, "Chicago" is the ideal movie musical for any moviegoer. You can watch it over and over and over and still be in love with it. Go out and get it today. I'd also recommend "Chicago: The Movie and Lyrics", "Chicago: Music From the Miramax Motion Picture", and the piano sheet music for "Chicago."
Rating:
Summary: And I don't like Musicals.
Review: But I love great work, and this is a great movie. Rob Marshall has taken the Bob Fosse musical to the screen with such imaginative direction, editing and choreography that he has made it his own. Not a copy of Fosse, but a nod to him while being fresh and new. Fast on its feet and clever as hell, it benefits from great original material that is funny, sexy and smart. The surprising cast of Zeta-Jones, Zellweger, Latifah, Gere and Reilly are uniformly terrific. Who knew John C. Reilly has a beautiful Irish tenor? They all learned their chops and performed them admirably. I applaud Rob Marshall not only for the clever and imaginative construct of constantly cutting back and forth from "real" sets to stage, and the rapid razzle dazzle of the editing and direction throughout, but also for bringing the picture in at 107 minutes. Many directors today do not know how and when to end their films and they go on and on forever passing a half dozen places they could have ended it (the exception being Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films that are actually better in the extended versions). Chicago gets right to it and never lets up. As I titled this review, I am usually not a big fan of musicals, but this film blew me away. Just great work throughout and it is a real MOVIE, not a filmed play. For once in a long while, I can't argue with the Best Picture awarded this film. Five stars all the way.
Rating:
Summary: PHENOMENAL!
Review: Were there a way to give a movie a six, that would be this movie. It is truly the best film that I have seen in many, many years, and was a brilliant telling of a very classic story. The blend of musical numbers with acted scenes was pulled off remarkably in this movie, and the film version allowed for plays that would not have been accomplished on the stage. The vocal talents of actor Richard Gere and those of Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones are unbelievable. Who knew? But it is Queen Latifah who really took the stage away in her brilliant portrayal of Matron 'Mama' Morton. We knew she had a brilliant voice, and we knew that she could act. We knew that she was gorgeous, but how she pulled this movie off is truly, truly outstanding. She brings it all together and it is her talent that glues the entire film together and makes it what it is. She is stunning and unbelievable in this role, and is to be commended for the great work which she did. Her fans will be thrilled with this movie, as will fans of the musical genre as a whole. This one is a 'must see!'
Rating:
Summary: A sleek, sexy satire
Review: "Chicago" is a sleek, sexy film featuring a powerhouse cast doing their own singing and dancing-- which is surprisingly good and makes this movie just that much more impressive. Director Rob Marshall choreographed the numerous dance numbers, which are energetic, sexy, and entertaining.
The biggest complaint people seem to have about this movie is that they don't like the characters. No, they're not quite the protagonists Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor were in "Moulin Rouge," but they're not really meant to be. "Chicago" is, after all a satire and Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, and Gere are all great as slimeballs who are completely oblivious to just how slimy they are. The press, of course, knows but doesn't care since these people help sell papers. The whole point is that our obsession with the scandal du jour has the perverted effect of making celebrities out of people who shouldn't be profiting from their actions. Look at the media circus that surrounds big trials, and made household names out of Amy Fisher and Lorena Bobbitt in the 90s. Making comparisons to real life, it's not hard to see the point that "Chicago" makes.
That being said,the disc could've had better extras but it's still worth five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: So So
Review: I don't care if this movie won an Oscar and everyone else said that it was the bomb. First off, when I wanted to get info about what this movie was all about, I couldn't get it. So finally, I went out and got it on DVD, and watching Renee Zellweiger play this stage struck,glory seeking,adulterous floozy made me want just shake my head. And the part when she sits up and faint talking about her "baby" because Lucy Liu was getting all the spotlight upon her arrival at the jail,was just too dang much. Zeta-Jones was classy, Richard Gere was ok.He didn't quite convince me there. Out of all the folk I kind of felt sorry for Zellweiger's husband in the movie Amos cause he worked hard, paid up front to get her out of jail and she didn't give him a backward glance. The songs and all were good, but that's about it for me.
Rating:
Summary: Chicago
Review: This movie is awesome. So much has been said about the casting and if you haven't seen the movie you won't believe who's doing the singing and dancing. Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zellweger and Richard Gere will blow your mind. John C. Reilly almost steals the show with his amazing number. You'll re-watch the musical numbers over and over again in total disbelief. I've always been a fan of great musical theatre and these folks should take this show on the road...trust me, buy this movie now and get ready to be shocked and amazed.
Rating:
Summary: Hey
Review: Was living in Chicago when they filmed this and did a little extra work for em, on the side.
Rating:
Summary: Chicago--The Musical, Re-Vamped!
Review: Pop, six, squish, uh-oh, Cicero, Lipschitz...............
What do these words have in common? Words chosen randomly to fit into two groups of three? Maybe aliases given by ravErs @ a Mack and Bellvue flashback of yesteryear? Or maybe I was six words short of my word requirement. No, its none of those...it's the opening line of one of the hottest numbers from Chicago. The song entitled "Cell Block Tango" uses these key words to segue into the murderous tales of six women on death row. From husbands and boyfriends, Arsenic and gunshots, guilty and not guilty, each woman's story unfurls. Elegantly, the seductiveness of the tango, the danger of murder and the cold hard edge of prison are combined to formulate a dynamic song and dance.
This is not where the magic ends...actors perform all of the songs! Now this is customary for theatrical performances but very rare in Hollywood. Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and Renee Zellweger did Hollywood Proud. These stars showed their versatility and looked great doing it.
Just the opposite goes for Queen Latifah. Although her roots have been mostly in music/rap, recently the Queen has been appearing on the big screen. Being a pioneer for women in the rap industry has been her forte; but anyone that didn't know before knows now that her talent extends far beyond that. The Queen's Sarah Vaughn like vocals shine, and add a little flavor to the already all-star cast. Rappers turned actors, actors that sing and dance...what's next, a 7'4 Chinese guy playing basketball?! J
I understand that musicals aren't for the butch. Having had a theatrical background, yes I am biased. But don't let the common misconceptions of the musical deter this endeavor. There is no boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, obstacles arise, love overcomes obstacle, and a happily ever after ending while singing all the while. Somehow Chicago weeded out all the corny, sappy, melodramatic goo and replaced it with all the components that put on an enchanting show.
Gorgeous costumes, beautiful actors, excellent use of color and photography, coupled with an outstanding score and outstanding vocals make this movie a must see. This movie will be enjoyable for all ready to embrace the new face of theater or thespians ready for a new notch in their proscenium arch. Thirteen Oscar Nominations, three awards from the SAG (screen actors guild) awards, and five from the Academy: including best picture, can't be that bad. So microwave some popcorn, kick back, try something new, and enjoy the flavor of theater nuveau.
Rating:
Summary: Quick sing one of the songs!
Review: There are enough reviews of this movie so that little pro or con is left to be said, but I will ask anyone who sees the movie, to afterwards identify the lyrics of any of the songs. This is my test of whether the musical is of real value. All anyone that I know can give me is the chorus of the initial song-All That Jazz- but not the whole lyrics. Frankly, I couldn't understand from that song what was being sung and the editing made it obvious that the lyrics were not of importance. Now think of other musicals that you have seen, The Music Man, My Fair Lady, J.C. Superstar, West Side Story, etc., and think of how many songs that you can remember. I am willing to bet that there is a vast difference in any of those stage/movie events and Chicago. I saw this movie on DVD during the holidays, and perhaps the theater experience is different. But, I found nothing about any of the characters that made them appealing, and believe me, I was looking forward to seeing Catherine Zeta Jones. After a half hour, I fought with others to make all of the trips to the kitchen for snacks, the newspaper and No Doze.
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