Rating: 
Summary: Simply the Best
Review: This is simply one of the very best movies to come down the pike in a very long time. The five principals do a phenomenal job of showcasing their multiple talents. And, yes, in spite of what some think, they all did their own singing and dancing...even Richard Gere. This is a "must" for any DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and thought-provoking
Review: At last, it's good to see a movie that really deserves an Academy Award. This wonderful production combines the talents of a myriad of fantastic performers. Veteran actors sing and dance as if they've been doing it all their lives and slick and creative musical numbers follow one another at a dizzying pace.
Renee Zellweger stars as a young girl desperate to be in show business. She has an affair with a man who claims that he can help her career, but when he reveals that it's all a lie, she shoots him. She ends up in jail with one of her idols, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, but Jones won't give her the time of day. They are both accused of murder and they both use a slick-talking lawyer played to perfection by Richard Gere. He manipulates the press by presenting Zellweger as a victim of the crime she committed and suddenly she has the fame she so greatly desires. Now it's Zeta-Jones who comes to her and wants them to perform together, but Zellweger spurns her as earlier she has been rejected. Each major character gets to shine in at least one solo number and both Queen Latifah and John C. Quinn deliver a show-stopping performance in "Be Good to Momma" and "Cellophane Man", respectively. This is a highly entertaining film, and it contains some themes which are brilliantly satirized. The power of the press and the unfairness of the legal system are brutally spotlighted and one can only assume at the end of this film that being bad is good. This is a wonderful film and is highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: awsome!
Review: THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST MUSICALS I HAVE SEEN IN YEARS!!! The music is so awsome and they picked the perfect people for each of the characters
Rating:
Summary: .....And All That Jazz
Review: I love love love this movie. Did I mention that I love this movie? :) I haven't ever really like Catheriene-Zeta Jones much but after this movie she kicks...! :) I also love Renee Zellweger and Queen Latifia and Richard Gere and lets not forget John C. Riley as Ames! His singing was amazing, too bad there wasn't another song he could have sang. The whole cast was awesome. The making of the movie thats on the DVD is awesome as well. Its always fun to watch them make movies. This movie just makes me want to watch it everyday all the time. It just brings you into it. No other movie has ever really done that to me!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Expecting Fosse and Got Marshall
Review: As a dancer since three and aspiring Broadway performer, I was excited to hear that Chicago was going to finally be made into a movie. Having seen the Broadway revival, I had high expectations for this film. I was expecting Fosse choreography or at least Fosse inspired choreography. I got Rob Marshall (who is a choreographer) and loved it. Completely going away from Fosse choreography was an ingenious idea. The casting of Zeta-Jones was inspired. She started out doing Broadway in England and it is obvious. All you need to see is "All That Jazz" and "I Can't Do It Alone" to prove that she deserved the Oscar. People are being hard on Zellwegger. Remember this though, Roxie is an aspiring Vaudeville performer and not that great. Yes, in the movie she is picturing all these performances in her head but the certain roughness in her dancing and singing is to be expected. It adds the charm. Gere was in Grease on Broadway in the 70s and while it has been a long time coming, he did wonderfully. His three months work on the tap dance was obvious. John C. Reilly gave a wonderful performance in Mr. Cellophane. As for the critics wondering why Lucy Liu and others are in there, it's because everyone wanted to be involved in this project. The best was Chita Rivera's bit part. So unexpected. As for the people who bash Chicago because of Moulin Rouge, get over it. The two are different ideas. Both musicals, but if everything looked the same, it would be boring. Moulin Rouge was shot with interesting camera angles to add to the whimsy of the movie. Chicago was shot to best show the choreography. And Nicole Kidman is not a better singer than Zellwegger or Zeta-Jones. Her voice is too thin. And I also own Moulin Rouge and love it. Just don't ask me to pick which is my favorite.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: I'm no fan of musicals in general, especially on film; they work much better on a live stage. Nonetheless, I thought this was a clever concept in that the musical numbers are done in a nightclub setting and as fantasies in Roxie's mind, rather than within the context of the "real" story that is going on (women in prison/on trial for murder). The film is seriously marred by the casting of Renee Zellweger, who is clearly not a polished musical performer and (to me anyway) is really annoying just to look at. However, Zeta-Jones is just as clearly a polished musical pro who takes command of every scene she's in and is as much fun to watch in her dance numbers as the best of Hollywood's hoofers. Gere was the real surprise to me and I thought he was fantastic. It's a shame he was completely snubbed at the Oscars when he deserved recognition for the job he did in this role, but Hollywood (and especially the Oscars) has never distinguished itself for fairness or recognizing talent above cronyism (no Oscars for Kirk Douglas or the Marx Brothers, but several for Shelly Winters? And the equivalent of late-career booby prizes for John Wayne and Paul Newman after overlooking their best work for years? It would take a book to catalog all of the goofy Oscar choices and outrageous injustices over the years.) Finally, I agree completely with the folks who recognize that "Moulin Rouge" was a vastly better movie in every way and I share their outrage at the film's total rejection by Mr. Oscar, while "Chicago" received far more awards than it deserves.
Rating:
Summary: And so Now the DVD and CHICAGO just gets better!
Review: Having reviewed the theatrical release version and the soundtrack of this superb film I still feel the need to "Play it again, Sam". The DVD just released not only reinforces just how excellent this company production is, it makes CHICAGO more important by reducing the size of the screen to fit your home TV and in doing so the DVD microscopes in on the nuances of the performances by Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly, Taye Diggs, Colm Feore, and all of the dancers. Rob Marshall just illuminates your home with his skillful rendering of Bob Fosse's Kander and Ebb musical. But the part that makes the disc a cinch to own is the extended added feature of watching all of the actors prepare this show and feeling the enormous amount of respect and love they obviously have for each other. This is a true company production. And you SHOULD own this!
Rating:
Summary: CHICAGO revives the movie musical with a vengence!!
Review: It's a been a long time since a Broadway musical rocked the attention of the film-going public in its celluloid version. Indeed, the last such musical to win Best Picture at the Oscars was the classic OLIVER! in 1968. While films like EVITA and GREASE made noble efforts in the following years, the Broadway musical genre seemed destined to be a faded memory. Then came the success of 2001's MOULIN ROUGE which, although not based on a Broadway show, showed that inventive and well-done musicals can draw an appreciative audience. In 2002, CHICAGO built on that momentum and brought the genre back into blazing life, while winning 6 Oscars in the process....including Best Picture. This clever, cynical satire tells the 1920's story of Roxie Hart, a young married woman who shoots her lover dead when he fails to promote her entertainment career. In the Cook County Jail, she meets with other female killers including jazzy dance star, Velma Kelly. Hart and Kelly soon find themselves competing for publicity, status, and even their hot-shot lawyer, Billy Flynn. As the somewhat innocent, yet ruthless Roxie Hart, Renee Zellweger does a wonderful job in balancing her two conflicting sides, while creating a character that grabs our interest. Richard Gere is also top-notch as the slick lawyer Billy Flynn. It's a fun character-type role that easily grabs our attention. John C. Reilly is winning as the meekish, put-upon husband to Roxie. Queen Latifah wonderfully underplays her role as the prison matron. And there's the definitive performance of Catherine Zeta-Jones as the sexy and sly Velma Kelly. With her high energy, strong voice and wonderful dancing, Zeta-Jones creates a film performance that is as definitive in its own way as Ron Moody's Fagin in OLIVER! or Julie Andrew's Maria in SOUND OF MUSIC. She richly deserved the Oscar she won for Best Supporting Actress. Rob Marshall directs this flick with a sure hand, and with a fast pace and style that makes the film seem much shorter than it actually is. The DVD is pretty basic for the most part with a "Making of" featurette, a director/screenwriter commentary, as well as the deleted number, "Class," which featured Zeta-Jones and Latifah. In the end, CHICAGO is that rare bird: a film musical that remains true to the original, while maintaining its own integrity. Like OLIVER!, SOUND OF MUSIC, and MY FAIR LADY, it deserves to stand the test of time as one of the great film recreations of Broadway, and it is definitely worth your time.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You, Rob Marshall!
Review: For immortalizing a theatrical gem on film and making it even better than the stage musical, we owe Rob Marshall and every person responsible for the making of this movie deep gratitude. As true today as the day the story was written, this socio-political commentary is deserving of every accolade it has received, and a stellar place in the history of film. It is simply deserving of being the 75th Oscar Best Picture! The performances cannot be more brilliant. Before its completion, I raised an eyebrow upon learning that Renee Zellweger was playing Roxie Hart. Having seen remarkable performances on the Broadway stage, I doubted that Renee can do justice to the role. Boy was I wrong! Renee turned in a tour de force performance! She is Roxie Hart. Marvelous! Kudos to Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah and every person in the cast! Bob Fosse is rejoicing in heaven. Chicago is BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT!!!
Rating:
Summary: How did this win Best Picture?
Review: With all the hype surronding Chicago, I expected a great movie but what I got was a decent music video that just happened to be almost 2 hours long. The songs weren't that great and the story was the same as you would see watching what my grandmother calls her stories on daytime television. It's lone saving grace was Renee Zellweger who was fun to watch and made me laugh several times. This movie is worth seeing but i don't think I would want to own it. The disc itself looks good and the sound is great but for a Best Picture winner I expected more than the single disc version given here, I think we will be seeing a 2 disk Special Edition soon so if you must have this film on dvd go ahead and get this one but don't be surprised when a better version shows up in 4-6 months.
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