Rating: 
Summary: You Know It's Good When It's Still On Your Mind the Next Day
Review: My opinion is one of a viewer who did not get to see this in the theater, has never seen Moulin Rouge, and doesn't feel the need to compare the two movies to each other or to compare this movie to the stage versions. Their success is irrelevant to my enjoyment of this film. This is entertainment, not a competition, and there's room for everyone after all. I appreciated how they found a clever way to make the musical format work for 21st century viewers who weren't as likely to accept the idea of characters suddenly bursting into song for no reason. I have no problem with the fact that they hired an actress to play Roxie who wasn't known for her singing talent. The character of Roxie is supposed to be a second-rate singer (no offense to Ms. Zellweger). That was why she couldn't make it big on her own. Zellweger does an excellent job all things considered. At times her voice reminded me of Bernadette Peters, particularly in "Funny Honey". I especially enjoyed the way she gave that extra-hokey performance of "Nowadays" during the audition scene to emphasize Roxie's lack of talent when in the real world. Catherine Zeta-Jones was of course amazing. She's really a great dancer. I had fun watching her rehearse in the behind-the-scenes special feature. Considering the fact that I'm pretty much allergic to Richard Gere, it's saying a lot that I really liked this movie. I can see why it won the Oscar. It wasn't just light-hearted campy fluff. It made a statement about our society, it provided touching drama with characters like poor Amos and Hunyak, and it entertained all at the same time. It had all the depth of a typical Oscar winner but with some razzle-dazzle to keep it moving. I still can't get the songs out of my head.
Rating: 
Summary: Chicago's Spectacular, the DVD Needs Improvement
Review: The long awaited DVD release of Chicago comes as a bit of a dissapointment. The movie, which is amazing from a musical, entertainment, and technical viewpoint, is mistreated by a lackluster collection of Special Features and a below-average video and audio transfer. The DVD includes a "Behind the Scenes" featurette, which clocks in at about 28 minutes. The special concludes with a music video for "All That Jazz". Strangely and fortunately, these two features are different than the special and video that came with the soundtrack DVD. Miramax has also been so kind as to bless us with a multitude of trailers for somewhat random items. And let us not forget the musical number, "Class", which is more of a dissapointment than I expected. The audio commentary on the film is quite interesting, though, there is something missing. In fact, there is a lot missing on the Chicago DVD. This very easily could have been a two-disc set, though Miramax decided to take the easy-way out and provide "enough" extras. There was a music video for Anastacia's "Love is a Crime" track, which is on the Chicago soundtrack, and is missing from the DVD. Clips from the Broadway play (or at least a more extensive section on how the story was conceptualized into a play). It would have been nice to have seen a homage or documentary on Bob Fosse. And what about the multitude of Chicago trailers that were on television and in theaters, ESPECIALLY around Oscar time. These clips are lost in the Miramax studios, unless they decide to release a "Collector's Edition" of some sorts. Though I am extremely satisfied with the film itself, I cannot give this DVD five stars. If you are also unhappy with the DVD, I would urge you to sign the petition located at [website]
Rating:
Summary: bob fosse lives!!
Review: ok, if you guys love fosse's stuff, your gonna love this one! while i belive marsall takes the credit for the dancing, fosse is all over this one. the movie "all that jazz" has been a favorite of mine since it came out (way back when), which has just been released on DVD (about time) i'm waiting for my copy to arrive any day now! i'm glad mr. marshall stayed "true" to bob. as a former high school drama teacher, i must admit, i got teary eyed with the opening number, as one of my students did it for a contest those many years ago. anyway, this movie "kick's ..." if i may use a term from the corp...if your looking for entertainment this is the one for you, if you like dancing......get this one..to bad mike douglas found her 1st, jones is the hottest babe on the planet. if your like the other guy( above review) looking for "social issues" about "bad" vs "evil", go look at disney. i enjoyed this one. the bad "girls" got off!!!!!! i loved that part.....oh by the richard gere, can sing and dance.....totallllllly, to cool.....
Rating:
Summary: Its Good, Grand, Great, Swell!
Review: I can't say enough,i watched it twice after recieving it! It almost rules the genre of historical musicals along with moulin rouge and gangs of new york(although granted not much of a musical). The songs and scenery, costum, and order of appereance were fantastic. As a movie it was exceptional- as a broadway show i am truly at a loss for words, with a cast of gold and a plot proven popular it truly comes out on top! Extra information and songs on the DVD promote it even further...worth the money and time! if you dont love it you hate it but if you love it you'll never put it away!
Rating:
Summary: Chicago will Razzle-Dazzle you!
Review: Everyone who hasn't seen this musical, you need too!! Aside from winning several Tony's during it's original run on Broadway with stage legends, Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera, it was and still is an immense success on Broadway right showing off the talents of some more stage greats - Bebe Newwirth, Ann Reinking, and Joel Gray (original Emcee in Cabaret). The movie version upholds to its Broadway prdecessors...It's an amazing story of two infamous women (Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, Zeta-Jones and Zellweger, respectively) fighting for media publicity and lawayer played wonderfully by Richard Gere (who does his own tap dancing and singing). With musical numbers written brilliantly by John Kander and Frank Ebb that will have your feet tapping in tempo and lyrics that stay in your head, who wouldn't love this musical?! Not too mention choreography inspired by Bob Fosse - you can NOT get any better than Kander&Ebb with Fosse!! "The Cell Block Tango" in itself is totally worth it, as is John C Reily's absolutely amazing "Mr. Cellophane" For all those people out there who getting the wrong advice about Moulin Rouge being "sooooo much better" than Chicago, please do not listen. I am a huge musical fan, having performed in several musicals and attending 5 times more at local, regional and broadway theatre, I can safely say that Chicago is far superior to anything that Baz Lurhman may give you. This is not to say that Moulin Rouge was not a great musical - Ewan McGregor was absoultey phenomenal. Kidman, however, is in no comparison whatsoever to Zeta-Jones or Zelleweger (who may not have the greatest sing-songy or trained voice like zeta-jones, but for its character purposes, it is the PERFECT Roxie voice) At least, Zelleweger looked like she had the breathe support and technique to sing, and can belt out some impressive notes for a first time singer. Kidman, though pretty, is nothing special and thousands upon thousands of girls can sing just like here.
Not too mention the story is chicago is actually worth talking and thinking about, compared to the weak and cliched storyline of moulin rouge (you know what's going to happen in the end within the first 10 minutes of the movie - where is the fun in that?!) So please, forget all the awful rumors and stupid advice about Moulin Rouge being the "superior musical" b/c they all obvisouly do not know what they are talking about! Chicago won Tonys AND all its Oscars for excellent reasons of which you can see for yourself if you get this DVD!!! So get it and you'll see what "all that jazz" is really about!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Sank Those Lofty Expectations Of Mine...
Review: I too jumped on the "Chicago" bandwagon and made the DVD purchase on day one of it's release. Having seen "Moulin Rouge", and thinking it was much better than I ever could have imagined, I had lofty expectations for the Oscar winning "Chicago". Lots of glam and glitz and the big name stars are here (Gere, Zellweger, Zeta-Jones, Latifa). I imagined all the rehearsals that all the actors went through - tiring for sure. The actors all do their own singing and I commend them for that. Two major complaints here... my number one complaint about this picture is the lip synching. It is painfully obvious that Gere, Zellweger & Zeta Jones (Zeta-Jones being the best of the 3) are NOT singing live... and they're doing a terrible job of trying to make it seem that way. Zellweger looks down-right awkward singing and trying to dance at the same time. Number two complaint is the story. It simply goes nowhere. For all the talent here on stage, "Chicago" lacks chemistry. Where Kidman and McGregor had intense chemistry in "Moulin Rouge", "Chicago" has very little. This review is from a guy's perspective only (of course I like Schwarzenegger's action pix, Adam Sandler's silliness, Crowe's "Gladiator", Tom Hank's brilliance, etc)... and if you're like me, you'll read the hype, you'll watch the movie... and you'll try not to fall asleep by the time the end credits are rolling. A lot of work went into the making of "Chicago". Sets, costumes, dancing, singing, filming, editing (won an Oscar), etc. My hats off to the entire team. In the end tho, this movie just didn't grab me like I had hoped it would.
Rating: 
Summary: The Movie is great! And deserves a better DVD...
Review: Okay, first and foremost I love this movie. I saw it multiple times and could not wait for its DVD release. With much anticipation I awaited August 19th to see the DVD unveiled for this 6-Oscar Winning film. What I found when I put the DVD in my player was nothing short of an eh, so-so effort. Unlike last years Moulin Rouge DVD or the Harry Potter DVDs, which include two discs, many bonus features, and a ton of other bells and whistles, the Chicago DVD does not even come with nice liner notes! All it has is a sheet of paper with the chapter titles. Believe it or not, the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" DVD has better liner notes than Chicago's! This DVD's special features are limited - one of them being a "behind the scenes" featurette that has already aired on the Internet months ago. It seems to me that someone took the easy way out in creating this very limited DVD. As I stated earlier, the movie is fabulous and it deserves a far better DVD than was produced. Perhaps the creators of the DVD should take note from a film like Moulin Rouge and give its audience the special features, time, and creativity it deserves. So in closing, the movie gets a 5, the DVD itself gets a 2. If you like the movie, go out and buy the DVD - you can expect to be blown away by the film and it's talent. However, you can also expect to be disappointed at the DVD's lack of ingenuity, effort, and creativity, which this movie truly deserved more of.
Rating:
Summary: One for every collector to own!
Review: If you missed Chicago in a movie theatre, what a shame: The vibrant colors and flashy editing played a little better on the big screen, but that does not denegrate the value of owning this DVD. I play the soundtrack CD all the time, and now I can play individual numbers at my whim! Renee Zellweger, of whom I am no fan, does an excellent job as Roxie Hart, and her singing voice is appropriate for a character who is not supposed to be exceptionally talented anyway. Richard Gere was completely robbed at the Academy Awards: His Billy Flynn is a sleazy, smarmy antihero for whom we cheer, and he does an excellent job with his singing and dancing, adopting a Jolson-esque singing style very appropriate to the time period. Queen Latifah proves quite an actress in the non-singing parts, and her solo number is a hoot. But the real reason to see Chicago is Catherine Zeta Jones. She is a real hoofer with a great voice to match! If this had been her debut, it would really have been one of those legendary star-making parts! (I have started going back to see her past work, and I highly recommend her work in Entrapment with Sean Connery; she's sexy and fab in that tricky little thriller, too.) The deleted musical number Class is clever, but obviously could not have taken place in this version of the story because Roxie is not present (all the music is in her imagination) and thus was rightly cut. Finally, if you can sit through the Cell-Block Tango number without wanted to applaud afterword, you are hard-hearted indeed!
Rating:
Summary: INCREDIBLE ACTING, AWESOME SINGING & IMPRESSIVE SET!
Review: This musical deserves 10 stars ********** but they made me stop at 5. Catherine Zeta Jones does an impressive job as Velma. Her strong personality suits the character to a T and her voice is made for the stage. I can't stop singing "And All That Jazz"! The particular scene in which Roxie (Zellweger) shoots Fred is so well acted that I wanted to shoot him too...that jerk! Zellweger delivers a stellar performance as dreamer Roxie. Her seeming innocence is acted out well, and perfectly suited for "oh so naive" looking Renee. She gives her best performance though when she is singing "Nowadays". We all knew she could act, but who knew she could sing? Queen Latifa as "Momma" had one of the best songs in the whole musical with "When your good to Momma". And boy can she belt it!! Richard Gere was made for Broadway and it shows as he "tap dances" around the issues, but he does his best as a ventriliquist (however you spell it) in "We both reached for the Gun". Overall a wonderful show with a great cast! Excellent, a must see for everyone!!
Rating:
Summary: DISAPPOINTING TRANSFER - LOUSY EXTRAS, but ALL THAT JAZZ!
Review: "Chicago" is the Academy Award winning musical from 2002 that brought back the genre in elegant style. Set during the rum running twenties, the plot loosely follows to murderesses (Catherine Zeta Jones-Douglas and Rene Zellweger) who are awaiting their fate on death row. Enter the over confident lawyer (Richard Gere)who promises to make it all better. Electrifying musical numbers rock this rather flat story and bump up the action a well deserved notch - but was this really the Best Picture of 2002?!?!
Mirimax's DVD won't be winning any awards. Colors are well balanced but flesh tones are overly pinkish and flat. Fine details are lost in the darker scenes, even when viewing the movie in a completely blackened room. Edge enhancement and aliasing crop up now and then, though nothing that will terribly distract. Film grain is a real problem - certain scenes are smooth as silk while others look as though they are at least twenty years old. (Herein I am not making references to the stylistic aged look employed during certain segments of the movie but various shots within a particular scene that veer wildly between generally smooth to excessively grainy. Check out Zeta Jone's "All That Jazz" number that opens the film. When Rene Zellweger intrudes with her own bar and chorus, the background information in the shot is suddenly riddled with grit, grain and a digital harshness.) Not a terrible mastering effort - just not an exemplary one and for a BEST PICTURE WINNER of one year vintage, entirely unacceptable. The audio is 5.1 and DTS but neither are particularly distinguished though both offer an aggressive bass and some kick during the musical numbers.
EXTRAS:A deleted song, audio commentary and theatrical trailer.
BOTTOM LINE: I would have at least expected a "making of" for this movie but I suppose Miramax is holding that back for a special "deluxe" edition sure to be out before Christmas. This is a very disappointing over all marketing of a BEST PICTURE - especially one that garnered tons of critical attention and a host of awards!
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